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Join UANI
ICHRI: "Arbitrary and sweeping disqualifications of
moderate candidates for the upcoming elections in Iran by hardline bodies
who control the approval process are stripping Iranians of their right to
free and fair elections. The Guardian Council, the clerical body charged
with vetting all candidates in the Islamic Republic, has disqualified the
vast majority of reformist and moderate candidates for Parliament and for
the Assembly of Experts, the body that selects the country's next supreme
leader, in a process completely lacking in transparency or
accountability. 'These disqualifications are creating a situation in
which there is little competition among candidates or choice for the
electorate,' said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the International
Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. 'So why bother with the charade of
holding elections?' 'By rigging the elections to ensure that only
hardliners will assume office, they are setting the stage for a
government that has little domestic legitimacy,' Ghaemi added. While
fierce protests in Iran over the last few weeks against the
disqualifications-by citizens, leading clerics, reformist leaders, and
even Iran's President, Hassan Rouhani-prompted the Council to reverse
their decision on some of the disqualifications, roughly 40% of the
applicants, the vast majority of whom are reformist or moderate, remain
disqualified by the Council. All of these disqualified candidates had
passed a prior vetting process undertaken by the Ministry of Interior.
The vetting process indicates that the hardliners' base is narrowing to
an unprecedented degree. The disqualified applicants are not dissidents,
activists, secularists, and others that would present a more direct
challenge to clerical rule. Rather, they are consummate insiders,
long-time Islamic Republic leaders, and high-level clerical
figures." http://t.uani.com/1o2OXqn
Daily
Caller: "The
head of U.S. intelligence believes that Iran's recent actions speak
loudly to its intentions, particularly given the country's recent
provocations since the Iran nuclear deal came into effect. Testifying to
the Senate Committee on Armed Services Tuesday, director of national
intelligence James Clapper gave a very somber description of what he sees
as Iran's intentions toward the U.S. now that last summer's nuclear deal
has commenced. In particular, his statements offered little assurance
that Iran is acting as an honest actor with the U.S. and the other states
involved in last year's negotiations, or that the nuclear deal will stop
Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. 'Iran probably views JCPOA [Iran
deal] as a means to remove sanctions while preserving nuclear
capabilities, as well as the option to eventually expand its nuclear
infrastructure,' said Clapper, who also noted that, so far, he sees no
evidence that Iran is violating the nuclear deal. Clapper's statements
stand in stark contrast with those made by President Barack Obama, who
lauded the nuclear accord last summer, claiming it would not only stop
all of Iran's possible pathways to a nuclear weapon, but that 'under its
terms, Iran is never allowed to build a nuclear weapon.' Clapper,
however, did not express much confidence that Iran's nuclear ambitions
had been completely blunted. 'We do not know whether Iran will eventually
decide to build nuclear weapons,' he admitted. When queried on Iran's
missile tests conducted in October and December of 2015 just months after
the signing of the Iran deal, he had no doubts the Islamic republic was
trying to send a message. 'I think this was a deliberate message of
defiance and that the Iranians are going to continue with an aggressive
program to develop their missile force,' said Clapper." http://t.uani.com/1V3Nw5o
Free
Beacon: "Iran
has released new photographs in which at least one of the recently
captured U.S. sailors is crying, according to a series of the pictures
posted on social media. The pictures, as well as an accompanying video,
were released by Iranian state-controlled news outlets and disseminated
on Twitter by Iranian reporters early Wednesday. The new photographs come
on the heels of another set of pictures that showed Iranian military
forces detaining the U.S. sailors at gun point and forcing them to place
their hands upon their heads while kneeling on a ship." http://t.uani.com/23WZWSv
Nuclear
Program & Agreement
Reuters: "Iran will unveil an upgrade of
its Emad ballistic missiles this year, the defense minister was quoted as
saying, advancing a program that has drawn criticism from the United
Nations and sanctions from the United States... Iran first tested the
Emad missile in October. With improved accuracy over its existing
arsenal, Iran says the new missile will be an important part of its
conventional deterrent. But the United States says the Emad is capable of
carrying a nuclear warhead and the test therefore violated a U.N.
resolution. Washington imposed fresh sanctions last month against Iranian
individuals and businesses linked to the missile program. 'We will unveil
the next generation of Emad with improved precision in the next (Iranian)
year (starting from March 20),' Dehghan was quoted as saying by the Fars
news agency late on Tuesday. 'The Emad missile is not a violation of the
nuclear deal or any U.N. resolution since we will never use a nuclear
warhead (on it). It's an allegation,' he said, adding that mass
production would begin in the near future." http://t.uani.com/1XiBt5C
Tasnim
(Iran):
"Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz
Kamalvandi dismissed the notion that there will be any damage to the
structure of the country's nuclear industry due to certain restrictions
that Iran has approved of under a lasting nuclear deal with world
powers... On the contrary, he added, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of
Action (JCPOA) has provided good grounds for Iran to launch bilateral and
multilateral cooperation with advanced countries to obtain their latest
achievements in the nuclear technology." http://t.uani.com/1KFtihJ
Fars
(Iran): "Head
of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said Iranian
engineers and Chinese counterparts are redesigning the Arak heavy water
reactor. 'We are redesigning the Arak plant. Our Chinese partners have
the blueprint too. We both shared our views two weeks ago in a meeting in
Tehran,' Salehi told reporters on Wednesday. He said there have been no
delays in implementing the project since it began a year ago. According
to Salehi, the Arak heavy water reactor, whose core was taken out under
the nuclear deal with the world powers, was designed and built by Iranian
experts, they are still in charge, but decision was made to do it in
partnership with China." http://t.uani.com/1Sg96pm
Military
Matters
AP: "Iran will sign a contract with
Russia for the purchase of Sukhoi-30 fighter jets, Iran's defense
minister said Wednesday. In comments published on the ministry of defense
website, Gen. Hossein Dehghan did not specify how many fighter planes
Iran will buy, or give a timeline for the signing of the deal. However,
he said that under the agreement Iran would also be involved in the
production of the aircraft. Iran needs to 'seriously focus on the air
force and fighters,' he said. 'We are moving toward a contract. We told
them that we need to be involved in the production (of the plane) as
well.' Iran's acquisition is significant given its role as a regional
power in the volatile Middle East, where it is backing opposite sides in
conflicts in Yemen and Syria to its longtime rival Saudi Arabia. The
fighter jet is believed to be comparable to the American F-15E fighter
bomber. Iran's air force still heavily depends on domestically modified
versions of long-outdated warplanes, including former Soviet MiGs and
American F14A Tomcats from the 1970s. Dehghan also rejected reports that
Iran has negotiated the purchase of J10 fighter jets from China. Russia
has already started delivering S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran.
The advanced defensive weapons system deal was frozen in 2010 due to U.N
sanctions." http://t.uani.com/1Q8Ytob
Free
Beacon: "The
director of the Defense Intelligence Agency told lawmakers Tuesday that
Iran will purchase new, advanced Russian weapons systems after receiving
large-scale sanctions relief with the implementation of the Iran nuclear
deal and will utilize these military capabilities in the Syrian civil war
in the near future. Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart made this statement to the
Senate Armed Services Committee alongside Director of National
Intelligence James Clapper, both of whom were on Capitol Hill to testify
about the newly-release annual 'Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S.
Intelligence Community,' which details the current array of threats posed
to American interests and national security... After 35 years of
sanctions, Iran has developed ... the most capable missile force in the
region. It has extended its lethality, its accuracy. It has all the
ranges covered. It can reach all of its regional targets.' ... The
general described how 'there's lots of weapons technology being
displayed, and I suspect within the next two to five years, we can expect
Iran to invest in some of those weapons technology that's being displayed
on the Syrian battlefield by the Russians today.'" http://t.uani.com/1TSoV5f
Cyberwarfare
Times of
Israel: "A
cyber-hacker working for Iran hacked the computer of a former IDF
chief-of-staff, an Israeli television report said Tuesday, and gained
access to the unnamed army chief's entire computer database. The hacker
was named by Channel 10 as Yaser Balaghi. He was said to have
subsequently bragged about the hack, but he also inadvertently left
behind a means to trace his identity. That error prompted Iran to halt
the hacking operation, which targeted 1,800 people worldwide, including
Israeli army generals, human rights activists in the Persian Gulf and
scientists. The Times of Israel reported on the Iranian hacking operation
two weeks ago, after an Israeli cyber-security firm, Check Point,
revealed its existence. Tuesday's Channel 10 report also cited
information from Check Point. Gil Shwed, CEO of Check Point Software
Technologies, told Israel Radio in late January that the attack began two
months earlier and that its targets received email messages aimed at
sending spyware into their computers." http://t.uani.com/1T7x70H
U.S.-Iran
Relations
AP: "An Iranian drone that flew
over a U.S. aircraft carrier last month was the first to conduct an
overflight of an American carrier since 2014, according to a U.S. Navy
report obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. The Jan. 12
reconnaissance flight by the Iranian Shahed drone was the latest in a
series of tense naval encounters between forces of the Islamic Republic
and the U.S. Navy, including the brief detention of 10 American sailors
who strayed into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. All the
incidents have come after Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers
including the U.S., and point to lingering tensions between the two
playing out in key waterways used to transport oil. An internal U.S. Navy
report on the incident, obtained by the AP through a Freedom of
Information Act request, said it happened as the USS Harry S. Truman and
the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle were 89 nautical miles
southwest of the Iranian port of Bushehr. The U.S. Navy also released
video it shot of the incident for the first time in response to the AP
request. A French helicopter watched the Shahed-121 drone on the cloudy
day and the U.S. Navy dispatched a Seahawk helicopter to film it as it
flew over the Truman, a nuclear-powered carrier based out of Norfolk,
Virginia. The U.S. Navy taskforce in the area publicly described the
drone's overflight as 'safe, routine and professional.' But the internal
report says the Navy's higher command described it as 'safe, abnormal and
unprofessional,' as Iranian drones seldom fly over American carriers...
The last Iranian drone overflight of an American aircraft carrier
happened in September 2014 and involved the USS George H.W. Bush,
according to the report. That happened as the U.S. and other world powers
were in the midst of negotiating a final agreement over the fate of
Iran's disputed nuclear program." http://t.uani.com/1mssXUd
JPost: "The commander of the Basij paramilitary
force of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, vowed that
Tehran 'will not make any compromises with our enemies in the Middle
East.' Speaking in a press conference in honor of the anniversary of the
1979 Iranian revolution, Naqdi emphasized that 'the hundreds of
Revolutionary Guards generals fighting in Syria will never repeat the
mistake of the Shi'ite Caliph Hassan bin Ali who surrendered leadership
of the Muslim world to Muawiyyah bin Abi Sufyan.' Naqdi added that 'it is
impossible to compare Iran to Iran under the Shah's rule, since back
then, Iran was subordinate to the American administration, while today,
the United States subordinates to Iran's dominance in the Middle East and
it cannot act in the region without getting the approval of the Supreme
Leader of Iran.' In addition, Naqdi argued that while senior 'American
officials visit the Middle East secretly, images of Qassem Soleimani, the
commander of Iran's Quds Force, spread across the streets in Yemen,
Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.'" http://t.uani.com/20VzFSa
Fox News: "Louis Farrakhan, the
controversial leader of the Nation of Islam, is set to speak Thursday at
a rally in Iran for one of its new drones, Iranian media report. The
planned ceremony marks 37 years after Iran's Islamic Revolution, in which
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized control from the Shah, who had gone
into exile. Both Farrahkan and Iranian president Hassan Rouhani will
speak, Iran's Tasnim News Agency reports. The homegrown drone will go on
display along with a ballistic missile and a satellite carrier, organizer
Asghar Abkhezr told the news agency. Farrakhan and Rouhani met for dinner
as recently as 2013, in New York City. Critics have long condemned
Farrakhan, 82, for his inflammatory statements about Jews, Catholics,
gays and Asians." http://t.uani.com/1KFvR3y
Congressional
Action
WashPost: "The Iran deal's opponents
couldn't pick apart the nuclear pact before it was implemented, but just
weeks later, lawmakers are regrouping to come after Tehran in every other
way they can. In this week alone, lawmakers will gather for at least five
separate committee meetings specifically dedicated to reviewing Iran's
actions ranging from its compliance with the nuclear pact to its
dedication to locating and freeing still-missing former FBI agent Robert
Levinson, who disappeared in Iran in 2007. Top United States intelligence
officials were grilled on Tuesday for their take on the threat posed by
Iran in two additional hearings. And later this month, senators are
expected to roll out a series of bills to bring the greater weight of more
non-nuclear sanctions down on Tehran, seeking to punish the Iranian
regime for everything from recent ballistic missile tests to pervasive
human rights abuses... 'I don't think it's helpful to keep having bills
that try to abrogate or get rid of what's already been negotiated. But
what we do need to focus on now is holding Iran's feet to the fire,' said
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the ranking member on the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, which this week is grilling the Treasury Department's
top sanctions official and its lead Iran negotiator about the nuclear
pact. A House Foreign Relations subcommittee will also mark up a bill
calling on Iran to live up to its promises to shed light on Levinson's
disappearance. Iran has denied having Levinson in custody, but many
suspect officials in Tehran know more about his case than they are
letting on. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider a
similar Levinson-related measure this week as well... Congress has yet to
take up any new sanctions legislation, despite apparent unity around the
idea of at least reauthorizing the Iran Sanctions Act, the law that lays
out a regime of nuclear, missile, and terrorism sanctions on Iran's
trade, energy, defense and banking sectors. Though the Obama
administration has waived certain provisions of that law in light of the
now-implemented nuclear deal, many lawmakers believe it is necessary to
keep the measure alive in case the United States has to avail itself of
the deal's 'snapback' option should Iran break its obligations under the
deal." http://t.uani.com/1SIlTRY
Sanctions
Relief
Reuters: "While Iran announces
multi-billion-euro deals with European multinationals, Namazi's case
sends a chilling message to expatriates who hope to participate in the
economic opening following the lifting of sanctions. Far from being
welcomed back for their skills and international connections, they may
end up behind bars or worse... Friends say Namazi may have become a pawn
in factional struggles among hardliners, pragmatists and reformers, each
with economic as well as political interests. Some fear he may be being
softened up for a televised 'confession' - a specialty of Iran's judicial
system." http://t.uani.com/1WefcF1
Bloomberg: "Iran is an important source of
oil for Japan and companies including Cosmo Energy Holdings Co., Chiyoda
Corp. and Inpex Corp. are keen to deepen relationships and make deals in
the industry. Chiyoda, a Japanese industrial plant maker, has reached a
basic agreement to renovate refineries in the southern Iranian port city
of Bandar Abbas, NHK reported last week. It is the first infrastructure
order by a Japanese company since sanctions were lifted, the broadcaster
said. The Yokohama, Japan-based company, confirmed it is making efforts
to develop deals in Iran, while it denied it had reached any agreements
with the Iranian government, it said in a statement after the report.
Cosmo Energy will decide to increase Iranian crude purchases if it makes
economic sense, Eita Ushioda, a Tokyo-based spokesman for the company,
said January. Inpex, Japan's biggest energy explorer, is also keen to
make investments in Iranian assets, Masahiro Murayama, a managing
executive officer at the Tokyo-based company, told reporters
Thursday." http://t.uani.com/1TcryiQ
Press TV
(Iran):
"Japanese oil refiners have started oil payments to Iran through the
Asian country's largest lender, the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ (BTMU)
which has resumed transactions with Iranian banks, a report says... BTMU
can now process Iranian oil payments for Japanese refiners both in the
yen and euros, energy and metals information provider Platts said, citing
an unnamed bank official. According to the agency, BTMU handled most of
Japan's payments for Iranian oil prior to the sanctions in mid-2012.
Japanese refiners made their Iran oil payments in yen via an account held
by the Bank of Japan, it added." http://t.uani.com/1Lh24cs
Reuters: "Italy's state railway company,
Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), signed an agreement with its Iranian
counterpart on Tuesday to develop Iran's rail system, Ferrovie said.
Foreign firms are keen to exploit opportunities in Iran after the country
emerged from years of economic isolation last month when nuclear-related
sanctions were lifted. Ferrovie Chief Executive Renato Mazzoncini signed
the agreement with Iranian Deputy Transport Minister and railway chief
Mohsen Pour Sayed Aghaei during the third mission of Italian businesses
to Tehran in recent months. The deal includes up to 5 billion euros
($5.65 billion) in export credits from Italy for Iran's RAI railway
company, a statement from Ferrovie said. 'The FS group will supply
assistance to the Iranian railways .. for both high-speed and
conventional rail lines, including a complete programme for training
personnel,' it said. It said FS will be on the 'frontline' for the
planning and construction of high-speed rail links between the Iranian
cities of Tehran and Hamadan, and between Arak and Qom. Iran is seeking
to expand its rail network to 25,000 km (15,500 miles) from 10,000
currently, with 7,500 km already under construction, the statement
said." http://t.uani.com/1QVwSUp
TASS
(Russia): "Russian
automakers Kamaz, GAZ Group and Sollers Group are in talks with Iran on
supplying their products to that country, according to the documents of
the Industry and Trade Ministry obtained by TASS. In particular, Russia's
largest truck maker Kamaz held talks with the management of Rakhsh Khodro
Diesel, the plant which assembles Kamaz trucks in Iran on resumption of
the assembly. It concerns sales of 180 Kamaz Euro-2 trucks in Iran,
according to the document. Also the representatives of Kamaz held talks
with the management of Iran Automobile Co, which is Kamaz official dealer
in Iran. Sollers carmaker held talks with Iranian companies Sam Diesel
and Maktab Company, which are interested in supplies of UAZ Patriot
vehicles to Iran. The parties also discussed setting up a local assembly
of UAZ vehicles, a distribution center and technical support service...
The GAZ Group is in talks with Iranian companies Mammut Group, Iran
Automobile Co., Zamyad and Sahand Tabriz Diesel on setting up an assembly
and distribution of Gaz Next cars in Iran. The Group is also holding
talks with Defense Industries Organization on supplies of the Ural
all-wheel drive chassis for Iranian armed forces and for civilian
market." http://t.uani.com/1Xit42d
Reuters: "Iran's oil minister said
foreign oil companies that owe his country billions of dollars are likely
to settle their debts in euros. Greece's Hellenic Petroleum, Italy's
Saras and Royal Dutch Shell owe Iran about $4 billion which will be paid
back in euros, Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh was cited by the
ministry's news agency Shana as saying on Tuesday. Shell has said it was
ready to settle its debts to Iran, but Greece's Hellenic Petroleum is
having trouble to pay Iran back and 'alternative methods are being worked
out', Zanganeh said, according to Shana. He did not elaborate. A Shell
spokesman said: 'We will settle our outstanding debt to NIOC (National
Iranian Oil Co) as soon as we are lawfully able to do so,' declining to
comment on whether the payment would be made in euros. Zanganeh also said
Emirates National Oil Co, Japan and the Netherlands had started settling
their debts to Iran's central bank. Iran wants to recover tens of
billions of dollars it is owed by buyers of its oil in euros and is
billing new crude sales in euros, too, looking to reduce its dependence
on the U.S. dollar following last month's sanctions relief." http://t.uani.com/20LkHSf
TASS
(Iran): "Russia
and Iran have signed documents for opening a $2.2 credit line within the
visit of Iran's delegation to Moscow, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi
Sanai said on Wednesday. 'Documents for financing two contracts on
construction of thermal stations and a railroad worth $2.2 bln have been
initialed,' he said... According to the diplomat, Iran is planning to
start the construction of the Bushehr-2 nuclear power plant in March.
'Iran is open for foreign investments but Russia has a priority at the
Iranian market, in particular, regarding the Russian experience in the
construction of the Bushehr NPP,' the diplomat said. 'The construction is
set to begin in March,' he added. In November 2014, Russia and Iran
signed in Moscow a package of agreements on the construction of eight
nuclear power units in Iran, including Bushehr-2. The project is
estimated at over $10 billion." http://t.uani.com/1Xitg1t
Reuters: "Hungarian oil and gas group...
MOL's executive vice president Ferenc Horvath also told Reuters in an
interview that MOL recently held talks in Iran and was ready to start
importing oil from Iran via the Adriatic pipeline if opportunities
arose." http://t.uani.com/1LgWTsS
Iran-Saudi
Tensions
Reuters: "Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have
banned Iranian-flagged vessels from entering their waters and imposed
other shipping restrictions, according to ship insurers citing local
reports, potentially escalating tensions between Tehran and Riyadh... A
ban on Iranian ships in those ports is unlikely to affect international
trade, although the uncertainty will add to trade hiccups for Iran. Some
ship insurers in recent days, citing reports from local agents and
correspondents, said in notes to members that Saudi Arabia and Bahrain
had banned all Iranian-flagged ships from entering their waters.
Norwegian ship insurer Gard said Bahrain had imposed a ban on any vessel
that has visited Iran as one of its last three port calls. 'There is
currently no such restriction in Saudi Arabia,' Gard wrote, citing
information from a logistics provider. Saudi Arabian and Bahraini
authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Ship
insurer West of England said separately: 'An entered vessel has since
been denied entry to Bahrain after visiting an Iranian port two port
calls earlier, resulting in the fixture being cancelled.'" http://t.uani.com/1KbKueO
Human
Rights
ICHRI: "A smartphone application aimed
at helping Iranian users avoid the country's morality police became a
smash hit immediately after it was released today, with its servers being
inundated by requests, according to one of its creators. The Gershad app
allows users to mark spots on the Tehran city map where the
Gasht-e-Ershad (or Guidance Patrol, commonly known as the 'morality
police') units are located, in order to help potential targets avoid
those areas. Iran's notorious morality police, a branch of the security
forces co-directed by the Revolutionary Guards and Interior Ministry,
routinely subject Iranian men and especially women to harassment and
arrests for alleged inappropriate public behavior. Gershad's servers were
flooded by requests yesterday when the app was released, one of its
creators told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
Perhaps detecting the high demand, the Iranian government has already
blocked access to the app. Gershad's developers are currently taking
steps to get the app back online, a source told the Campaign. The Gershad
app, which only works on Android devices, was mainly developed in
response to the morality police's harsh and tireless efforts against its
favorite target: Iranian women who do not observe strict hijab (female
head covering and dress) in public." http://t.uani.com/1Q7eUej
ICHRI: "Iran's judicial authorities
have hinted that Kurdish prisoner of conscience Zeinab Jalalian could go
on furlough if she agreed to a televised confession, according to her
lawyer, Mohammad Sharif. 'They don't want to let her out or if they do,
it would be conditional,' Sharif told the International Campaign for
Human Rights in Iran. 'Given the circumstances, I suspect her furlough
request would be accepted on the condition that she agrees to a televised
interview, or something along that line.' Furlough, or temporary leave,
is typically granted to prison inmates in Iran for medical or special
familial reasons. It is routinely denied to political prisoners as a form
of additional punishment. Four previous furlough requests by Jalalian,
who is serving a life sentence for alleged membership in a Kurdish
separatist group, have been rejected. Jalalian has reportedly been put
under intense physical and psychological pressure to confess in front of
a camera in the past. Televised forced 'confessions' in politically
motivated cases, often extracted under the threat of or actual torture,
are a common practice in Iran. 'She has been in prison for eight
years-since her arrest at the age of 25,' Sharif told the Campaign.
'Naturally as a young woman [who has been in prison for this many years],
she is experiencing a lot of problems.'" http://t.uani.com/1PCEwQZ
Domestic
Politics
Reuters: "The grandson of Ayatollah
Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of Iran's Islamic Republic, will not be
allowed to stand in this month's election in Iran, the clerical vetting
body said on Wednesday, in a blow to reformist forces in the country.
Hassan Khomeini, 43, the first member of the Khomeini family to register
for polls and an ally of President Hassan Rouhani, lost an appeal to the
body against a ban... Under pressure from the government, the Council
overturned hundreds of bans on parliamentary candidates last week,
rekindling the hopes of reformists and moderates. But the final list of
candidates for the Assembly of Experts, published on Wednesday, makes it
clear that the Guardian Council intends to keep reformists and moderates
away from this crucial clerical body... 'The Guardian Council is now more
than ever under pressure by the Islamic Republic's sworn enemies,' the
Council said in a statement published on its website on Tuesday. 'The
Council would stand firm to protect people's rights and the Islamic
Republic's values.'" http://t.uani.com/1XiBQ04
Opinion
& Analysis
Josh
Rogin in Bloomberg:
"The Obama administration's one successful collaboration with
Congress on keeping terrorists out of the United States is unraveling, as
Republicans allege that the administration is giving Iran special
treatment and as the State Department pushes to loosen restrictions for
dual-nationality Iranians to visit the United States.As soon as President
Barack Obama signed the law last December, removing visa waiver
privileges for foreign citizens who have visited Iran and other Middle
Eastern nations, the Iranians objected and Secretary of State John Kerry
assured Tehran that the administration would use its executive authority
to ensure the law would not impede 'the legitimate business interests of Iran.'
Congress objected to that at the time, but didn't know then that the
State Department was also pressing to exempt all dual-nationality
Iranians who are outside of Iran, in the hope of encouraging political
change inside that country. In January, the State Department prepared a
policy memo, which I obtained, that argues for exemptions to the law far
beyond what Kerry promised the Iranian government and that have nothing
to do with the nuclear agreement between Iran and the West. For example,
State argued internally that all dual-nationality Iranians who were born
outside of Iran or emigrated from Iran after the 1979 Islamic revolution
should be exempted from the law. 'The United States has a national
security interest in Iran moderating politically over time,' the memo
states. 'Penalizing those who were born outside Iran runs counter to this
objective because it alienates a group that largely support the U.S. goal
of encouraging Iran to moderate politically.' The memo says that the
secretary of homeland security can use national security waivers at his
sole discretion and urges him to use them liberally. 'There are no
findings of facts or other determinations required to be made before
exercise of the waiver authority,' the memo states. 'The national security
waiver can be exercised by category, not just individuals.' The memo then
lays out detailed rationales and legal arguments for exempting eight
categories of people from the new visa rules. When the Homeland Security
Department announced its implementation plan on Jan. 21, five of these
categories were included for exemptions: anyone who had visited Iran,
Iraq, Sudan, or Syria on behalf of an international organization,
non-governmental organization, or as a journalist, and those who visited
Iran or Iraq for 'legitimate business purposes.' The law as written
provides exemptions only for official government travel and military
service. According to e-mails provided to me between administration
officials and Congressional staffers, the White House signed off on those
being the only two exemptions after extensive negotiations. The State
Department memo shows that after the compromise, the State Department
tried again to expand the scope and the scale of the exemptions for
Iranians all over the world. The State Department was not definitive on
exactly how the Homeland Security Department was supposed to determine
which dual-national Iranians met the exemption criteria. For example, the
memo says Homeland Security could ask dual-national Iranians to disclose
when they left Iran during their online application. Those in Congress
who negotiated the law consider the State and Homeland Security
Departments' implementation to be a violation of it. Michael McCaul,
chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told me that the
administration is abusing the national security waivers that Congress
provided. 'The president has decided he is going to break this law -- and
he plans to do so, in part, to accommodate the world's leading state
sponsor of terror, Iran,' McCaul told me in a statement. 'I believe this
decision could have serious consequences for our security and -- perhaps
more importantly -- far-reaching consequences for our democracy.' In late
January, McCaul joined with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce in a letter to the
president demanding all memos, e-mails and other correspondence related
to the decision to expand the exemptions for the new visa restrictions
for Iran and Iraq. The lawmakers gave the administration a Feb. 12
deadline." http://t.uani.com/1msAKBA
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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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