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Stories
WSJ: "The Obama administration has
concluded that uranium particles discovered last year at a secretive
Iranian military base likely were tied to the country's past, covert
nuclear weapons program, current and former officials said, a finding
that contradicts Tehran's longstanding denials that it was pursuing a
bomb. Traces of man-made uranium were found at the Parchin facility,
southeast of Tehran, by investigators from the International Atomic
Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, as part of an investigation
tied to the landmark nuclear deal reached last July between Iran and
global powers. The Iranians have claimed that the site was used for
developing and testing conventional weapons. The particles were the
first physical evidence-on top of satellite imagery and documents from
defectors-to support the charge that Iran had been pursuing a bomb
there. The Obama administration didn't comment about the uranium in
December when the IAEA released its report; the finding got only one
brief mention in the 16 pages. But in recent interviews, current and
former U.S. officials asked about the uranium finding said the working
assumption now is that it is tied to nuclear weapons development that
Iran is believed to have pursued more than a decade ago." http://t.uani.com/28IUY6T
AFP: "Iran said Sunday it has
reached an agreement with American aerospace giant Boeing to purchase
100 aircraft to renew its ageing fleet, though the deal must still be
approved by the US government. The Islamic republic has ordered about
200 planes from three Western manufacturers since mid-January, when
economic sanctions were lifted following a deal on Tehran's nuclear
programme. Ali Abedzadeh, head of Iran's civil aviation authority said
in remarks published by the daily Iran newspaper that an agreement had
been reached with Boeing for the purchase but said the deal was
contingent on US Treasury permission. Deputy Transport Minister Asghar
Fakhrieh Kashan however said Sunday that he hoped the initial accord
could be completed within a month. He told the Fars news agency that
the deal would be 'the largest and most important contract' with the
United States -- barring military deals -- since before Iran's 1979
Islamic Revolution... He said the contract's reported value of $17
billion (15 billion euros) was not final and that more details will be
provided after further negotiations." http://t.uani.com/28J04QE
Fox
News: "Top
House Republicans are raising red flags about Boeing's potential sale
of roughly 100 commercial jets to Iran, warning it could end up
benefiting Iran's military, as well as terror groups such as Hamas and
Hezbollah. While the talks have not drawn objections from the Obama
administration, Reps. Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Jeb Hensarling,
R-Texas, fired off a letter Thursday raising concerns about Tehran's
history of using commercial planes to support 'hostile actors.' 'We
strongly oppose the potential sale of military-fungible products to
terrorism's central supplier. American companies should not be
complicit in weaponizing the Iranian Regime,' the lawmakers wrote in
the letter to Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg. Whether Iran could or would
use the aircraft for such purposes is unclear but the letter, obtained
by FoxNews.com, seeks more information about the national security
implications of the pending deal -- as well as the status of
negotiations... Roskam and Hensarling reminded Boeing in their letter
that the State Department recently branded the country 'the foremost
state sponsor of terrorism.' They note Iran's commercial aircraft are
commonly used for military purposes and to back terrorist groups."
http://t.uani.com/21qRx6R
UANI
in the News
YNet
(Israel):
"Former Mossad director Tamir Pardo is joining the board of
directors of the American non-profit United Against Nuclear Iran
(UANI), which operates internationally in an effort to raise awareness
of the dangers posed by the Shiite state's regime. UANI's membership
also includes former US senator Joe Lieberman, former American special
Middle East government coordinator Dennis Ross, former Spanish foreign minister
Ana de Palacio, former heads of the CIA, and former Australian defense
minister Robert Hill. UANI also works to convince international
corporations not to do business with Iran... In addition to Pardo,
former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former
Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski have also joined UANI.
According to Pardo, the world's leading powers should not ignore the
clear dangers posed by the Iranian regime, which he says threaten the
personal safety and freedom of people both inside the country's borders
and in the world at large. He expressed his satisfaction at being part
of the UANI board." http://t.uani.com/1UVYta1
Foreign
Affairs
Press
TV (Iran):
"Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will embark on a
European tour to discuss regional developments and mutual ties,
particularly after last year's nuclear agreement reached between Tehran
and the P5+1 group of countries. On the first leg of his two-nation
European tour, the Iranian foreign minister will head for the French
capital of Paris on Tuesday. He will also pay a visit to the
Netherlands. Zarif has made two rounds of visits to a number of
European countries over the past few months with the purpose of
discussing ways to expand relations after the implementation of the
nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA) began in January. In the first round of his tour, he visited
Poland, Sweden, Finland and Latvia in late May and early June. Zarif
also traveled to Norway and Germany in mid-June." http://t.uani.com/28JiPFH
Tehran
Times: "Iranian
Foreign Minister Mohamamd Javad Zarif plans to visit Uzbekistan to
attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Summit of the SCO Heads
of State is scheduled to be held on June 24 in Tashkent. Various member
states to the organization, especially Russia and China, have supported
Iran's membership. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a Eurasian
political, economic, and military organization which was founded in
2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. On July 10, 2015, the SCO decided
to admit India and Pakistan as full members, and they are expected to
join by 2016. Afghanistan, Belarus, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan
are the current observers of the organization. Iran applied for full
membership on 24 March 2008. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman
Mohammed Nafees Zakaria said on Saturday Pakistan welcomes Iran's
permanent membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization." http://t.uani.com/264rqJG
Nuclear
& Ballistic Missile Program
Press
TV (Iran):
"Iranian lawmakers have pledged 'unforgettable' response to any
violation of a nuclear agreement after Leader of the Islamic Revolution
said Tehran would 'set fire' to the deal if the US reneged on it. In a
letter issued on Sunday, as many as 237 MPs announced their 'firm'
support for Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei's recent remarks in an
apparent refrain to US presidential candidates' threat to tear up the
deal. 'In case the opposite side breaks its promise, we will teach the
violators an unforgettable lesson, and make the arrogance regret its
breach of promise,' the letter said... Elsewhere in their statement,
the Iranian parliamentarian noted that the country's strategic nuclear
industry should be preserved and developed." http://t.uani.com/1UEuAMR
U.S.-Iran
Relations
Fars
(Iran):
"Deputy Chief of Staff of Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud
Jazzayeri said the US and its allies will be deeply surprised to see
Iran's secret military achievements. 'The enemies of the Islamic
Republic, headed by the Americans, the Zionists and the British, are (only)
aware of a part of the Islamic Republic of Iran's power in different
defensive and missile fields and fortunately, since we are self-reliant
in this area, our enemies aren't aware of certain parts and will not be
aware any time soon unless something happens,' Jazzayeri said on
Saturday. 'In such a case, we might need to dispay a part of our
capabilities in the battlefield and I believe that if such a thing
happens, they will be much surprised to suddently see how much progress
the Islamic Republic has made in defensive fields,' he added." http://t.uani.com/1Ug8tbQ
Congressional
Action
Free
Beacon: "The
Obama administration is stalling a congressional inquiry into its
ongoing refusal to uphold a U.S. law that would sanction Russia for
selling advanced missile systems to Iran, according to recent
communications between the State Department and Congress exclusively
obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. President Obama has the
authority under U.S. law to designate as illegal Russia's recent sale
to Iran of the advanced S-300 missile system, a long-range weapon that
would boost the Islamic Republic's military capabilities. The
administration has so far declined to exercise its sanction authority
under law and has been stalling attempts by Congress to discern the
rationale behind this decision, prompting accusations that the
administration is ignoring U.S. law and 'acquiescing' to the sale in
order to preserve last summer's comprehensive nuclear deal. Rep. Steve
Chabot (R., Ohio), who first launched an inquiry challenging the
administration's reluctance to sanction the sale in early April, told
the Free Beacon that the White House is continuing to punt questions from
lawmakers, jeopardizing efforts by Western nations to block the arms
sale. The administration informed Chabot on June 8-more than two months
after his initial request-that it has not reached a determination as to
whether it will move forward with sanctions as specified under the
law." http://t.uani.com/28Je8q6
Sanctions
Relief
CNN: "Now that sanctions are gone,
Iran is seriously flexing its oil muscles in hopes of luring back
Western energy companies. Iran pumped 3.64 million barrels per day in
May, just four months after sanctions were lifted, according to the
International Energy Agency. That's the fastest pace since June 2011,
before tougher sanctions were imposed by the U.S. and other world
powers over Iran's nuclear program. All told, Iran's oil production has
surged by 730,000 barrels per day since the end of 2015, the largest gain
from any OPEC country. It fits in with OPEC's recent efforts steal back
market share by flooding the world with lots of oil. More importantly
for Iran's sanctions-rattled economy, the country is also shipping tons
more crude overseas. Iran's waterborne crude exports surged to 2.6
million barrels per day in May, nearly tripling the pace from November
2015, according to research firm ClipperData. The export strength has
been fueled by higher production and drawing down onshore
stockpiles." http://t.uani.com/28Jj3Z2
Bloomberg: "Iran has paid off
outstanding export-credit debt to Germany, paving the way to open
renewed trade ties between the two countries after last year's nuclear
agreement scaled back sanctions on Iran. 'This is a further important
step to revive our economic relations,' Sigmar Gabriel, German economy
minister and vice chancellor, said in a statement on Monday. Gabriel
said the payment will allow Germany to re-establish credit guarantees
that support exports to Iran. The Iranian government had declined to
fulfill all its credit obligations while it was subject to sanctions,
some of which were lifted in January, the ministry said. Clarifying the
outstanding debt was a key element in reestablishing trade links with
Iran as German business pushed to increase ties." http://t.uani.com/28Jgwmg
Tehran
Times: "Iran
paid its debt to the German Euler Hermes credit institution, Islamic
Republic's ambassador to Berlin said, IRIB news reported on Sunday.
'There are no more barriers on the way of German banks and companies'
cooperation with Iranians,' Ali Majedi said, 'and the company will
offer insurance to Iran as of Tuesday.' As reported, Iran owes Germany
about €500 million ($578.90 million) under so-called Hermes covers.
Hermes cover is a common way of referring to an export credit guarantee
(ECG) by the German government. These guarantees are an important part
of German foreign trade policy and protect German companies in the
event of non-payment by foreign debtors." http://t.uani.com/28IriUG
Mehr
(Iran):
"After implementation of JCPOA, European airports have granted
access to EU airspace for Iranian airplanes. Mahan Airlines Flight
W50106 took off from Imam Khomeini International Airport at 6:55 local
time to land in Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport 12:40 local time. The
plane Airbus A340 carried 106 passengers and crew. Mahan Airline will
operate flights to Paris regularly on Saturdays, Mondays, and
Wednesdays. Before Mahan Airline, only Iran Air was operating flights
to Paris." http://t.uani.com/28JfuRZ
Financial
Tribune (Iran):
"Following the easing of economic sanctions at the beginning of
this year, ZF Friedrichshafen is intensifying its business commitments
in Iran. The company has opened up the ZF Pars SSK subsidiary, which
will start to combine ZF's business activities in the region. ZF is a
German car parts maker headquartered in Friedrichshafen, in southwest
Germany... 'The Iranian market offers a great deal of potential,' says
Matthias Benz, senior vice president for corporate market at ZF. 'The
new Iranian subsidiary will enable us to concentrate our existing
business activities, while tapping into new business areas and
acquiring new customers.' ... The initial group of around 10 employees
of ZF Pars SSK will be based in the capital Tehran with the prospect of
hiring additional employees as business activities expand." http://t.uani.com/1W7EqrD
Press
TV (Iran):
"Iran says it is looking into a plan to jointly produce Sukhoi
Superjet 100 (SSJ 100) airplanes with Russia - what could take the
Islamic Republic to the club of global plane makers if materialized.
Iran's Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade Mohammad-Reza Ne'matzadeh
told reporters in Moscow that Iran has already started talks with
Russian over the plan. 'Now the talks regarding a joint manufacture of
this airplane are underway, but there are no results yet,' Ne'matzadeh
told reporters on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg Economic
Forum." http://t.uani.com/1V1PMs4
TASS
(Russia):
"Russia and Iran mighy soon implement projects for $40 bln,
Russian Energy Ministry Alexander Novak said on Thursday at the St.
Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2016). 'Currently the
total volume of the projects - we calculated with our colleagues, and
this figure is probably the same in our estimations - is about $40 bln.
This is the minimum level of potential projects that could be
implemented in the near future,' the Minister said." http://t.uani.com/1UT1yYj
Interfax: "Gazprom Neft is considering
participation in the Azar and Shangul projects in Iran, company head
Alexander Dyukov said at a press conference on June 13. He said that
Gazprom Neft had no conflict of interests with Lukoil, which also is
contending for the Azar and Shangul fields, because Gazprom Neft is
looking for participation in fields, where Iranian companies are
already operating. He said these sections are the continuation of the
Badra field project in Iraq, of which Gazprom Neft is the operator.
Dyukov added that Gazprom Neft is looking for better terms on the Badra
project." http://t.uani.com/1UnwIHq
Terrorism
Long
War Journal:
"Iranian authorities shuttered a news website after it claimed
that the Taliban's previous emir was inside Iran for two months and
strategized with officials to counter the Islamic State. Mullah
Mansour, the Taliban's previous emir, was killed in a US drone strike
in Baluchistan, Pakistan, on May 21. The US military and the CIA
tracked Mansour as he left Iran, where he purportedly was visiting with
his family. Iranian officials shut down the Jahan News website, which
is affiliated with a hardline former parliamentarian. According to
Iranian news reports, the reason for the outlet's suspension, which
occurred on June 15, was the publication of two articles, one of which
discussed Mansour's dealings with Iran. On June 5, Jahan News published
an article that claimed that Mansour stayed in Iran for two months and
left the country one week prior to his death. The article claimed that
he had 'discussions with various bodies,' likely a reference to Iran's
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps... 'Beneficial negotiations took
place with Iranian officials,' Jahan News noted." http://t.uani.com/24WbrYa
Human
Rights
Reuters: "Iranian authorities on
Monday shut down the Ghanoon newspaper, which has criticized the
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the newspaper said in a
statement on its website. The move came days after President Hassan
Rouhani called for greater freedom of expression in the media. Ghanoon
said it been shut by the judiciary after complaints made by the IRGC's
Department of Intelligence. The paper has been accused of 'libel and
publishing falsehoods to create public anxiety,' according to its
website. It did not specify which reports had upset the IRGC. Ghanoon
was temporarily banned in 2014 over a report about possible corruption
charges against a former member of the IRGC after he was released on
bail. The newspaper also came under attack in January when it
criticised the way the Guards handled the arrest of 10 American sailors
in Iranian waters. It wrote that the video which aired on the Islamic
Republic's state television showing U.S Navy personnel kneeling with
their hands behind their heads was reminiscent of beheadings by Islamic
State." http://t.uani.com/28J0Iya
Domestic
Politics
FT: "When 14-year-old Iranian
student Donya spotted on social media that thousands of teenagers were
going to celebrate the end of the school year, she jumped in a taxi and
headed to the shopping mall where the gathering was taking place. But
after a 45-minute drive through Tehran, she was shocked to find that
security forces, armed with tear gas, had arrived to prevent the
formation of what they seemed to fear was the beginning of a new
'social movement' - a celebration by happy adolescents. That such a
seemingly innocent gathering last week by the youthful revellers set
off alarm bells among the Islamic Republic's rulers illustrates the
paranoia of some within the regime. It also highlights a challenge it
is grappling with: how to cope with the desires of young Iranians who
want a lifestyle free of the restrictions imposed by a clergy that
deplores celebrations involving opposite sexes. A widening gap between
modernisers and conservatives, the result of an increasingly modern
society characterised by highly educated young women, has put the
future of the Islamic Republic's ideology at stake. It is happening as
growing numbers of young, city-dwelling Iranians push back against
conservative traditions and religious restrictions to embrace a
western-style modernity." http://t.uani.com/1UDT3xP
Opinion
& Analysis
UANI
Chairman Senator Joseph Lieberman in New Indian Express: "One of the worst
consequences of Iran's support of Assad is the emergence of the Islamic
State, a radical terrorist group that has asserted its sovereignty over
much of Syria and Iraq, and is now coordinating and inspiring terrorist
attacks against people throughout the world. It is in the light of the
above issues that the India-US ties assume huge significance. As a
former US Senator, I can tell you that the relationship is natural and
important for both nations. During his recent visit to Washington, PM
Narendra Modi told the Congress that India's cooperation with the US
'secures our cities and citizens from terrorists, and protects our
critical infrastructure from cyber threats'. It's for these reasons
that India's formidable economic and diplomatic power should not be
used to further embolden the Iranian regime, which has only doubled
down in its regional meddling and support for terrorism in the
aftermath of the nuclear deal. In Iran, business is routinely
intertwined with terrorism. Therefore, if Indian companies sign deals
with Tehran, they will be lending support to its belligerent behaviour.
If PM Modi is concerned about protecting critical infrastructure from
cyber threats, he should note that the US Justice Department has
charged seven Iranians linked to the regime with launching cyber
attacks against the US financial sector and critical infrastructure,
including a dam outside of New York City. Indian companies, as
much as their American counterparts, are vulnerable to cyber attacks by
Iran. Pursuing business in Iran can also lead to losing out on more
lucrative opportunities in countries that oppose its hegemonic
policies. For instance, India has the choice to invest in the US,
Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, other GCC countries,
and allied countries with a combined GDP of over $32 trillion, or take
a gamble on Iran's economy with a GDP of under $400 billion.
There is a real risk that Indian companies investing in Iran will lose
market share in some of these other countries. So, while Iran could
help alleviate India's energy problems, there are better ways to solve
those. Doing business with the regime can create even more problems for
New Delhi-economically, diplomatically, and in terms of security."
http://t.uani.com/28J5sSP
Ray
Takeyh in CFR:
"Iran's Revolutionary Guards have been much in the news in the
past few years. They are at various times presented by Western media as
a paramilitary force rampaging in a disorderly Middle East,
entrepreneurial businessmen who may be useful allies of President
Hassan Rouhani as he attempts to open up the economy, and a zealous
ideological force helping Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in his quest to
sustain the Islamic Republic. A look at the Guards from their inception
reveals that all of these descriptions bear a measure of truth and that
the context of Iranian politics and the regional order have done much
to condition the Guards' mission. The Guards made their first
appearance during the latter stages of the 1979 revolution that deposed
the shah. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the revolution,
did not trust Iran's military and needed his own force as various
factions and militias battled for influence in those chaotic days. The
unit was drawn from pious young men, mostly from working-class
backgrounds. They were attracted by Khomeini's mission of salvation and
his quest to ensure God's rule on earth. From the very beginning a strong
ideological bent permeated the organization and sanctioned its view
that violence was a justifiable response to the Islamic Republic's
detractors, both domestic and foreign." http://t.uani.com/28J0Xcb
Mary
Anastasia O'Grady in WSJ: "Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman died of a
single bullet to the head in January 2015, a day before he was
scheduled to testify to Argentina's Congress about an alleged
government coverup of the 1994 Iranian terrorist bombing of a Buenos
Aires Jewish community center. There is still no official court ruling
on whether he was murdered, but a new investigative report-to be
published Tuesday-goes a long way in proving motive. Joseph Humire, the
executive director of the Washington, D.C., based Center for a Secure
Free Society, uses thousands of documents and legal wiretaps released
to the public to show how the prosecutor's death eliminated a key
stumbling block for Iran and 'paved the way for [it] to move into a new
phase of its information and intelligence operations in Latin America.'
If the theocracy, which is the No. 1 state-sponsor of terrorism in the
world, did not murder Nisman, it was the biggest beneficiary of his
death. Nisman was the special prosecutor investigating the terrorist
attack on the Jewish community center-known by its Spanish initials as
the AMIA. In 2006 he indicted eight former Iranian officials (including
former President Ali Rafsanjani) and one Lebanese national. The
following year, at Nisman's behest, Interpol issued 'red notices' for
the arrest of six of the accused. But Iran took no action. Using legal
wiretaps, Nisman later built a case that President Cristina Kirchner's
government had a covert agreement with Iran to wipe Tehran's
fingerprints off the AMIA attack in exchange for Iranian oil and
reopening Iran's market to Argentine grain and beef. Nisman had filed a
criminal complaint against members of the Kirchner government the week
before he died. Killing him did nothing to stop the public from
learning of the contents of his report. Yet his death did put the
brakes on his plan to bring the Iranian crime into the international
arena. It had the potential to undermine the key foreign-policy
objectives of Tehran. Iran's asymmetric warfare against the West
demands commercial engagement because it allows Tehran to deploy
political operatives specializing in propaganda, intelligence and
terrorism and to finance their activities under the guise of business
activity." http://t.uani.com/28J0siD
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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
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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
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