Historic Moment: Iran Nuclear Talks to Succeed [Update]

18 Comments

1. 

   Oui on November 23, 2013 at 1:26 am

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   A recent post …

   April 22, 1975: Kissinger Outlines US Plans to Help Iran Achieve Nuclear Capability

   Secretary of State Henry Kissinger circulates National Security Decision Memorandum 292 on “US-Iran Nuclear Cooperation” outlining the administration’s negotiating strategy for the sale of nuclear energy equipment to Iran. The document states the government would permit “US material to be fabricated into fuel in Iran for use in its own reactors and for pass through to third countries with whom [the US has] agreements.” According to the document, the administration would “agree to set the fuel ceiling at the level reflecting the approximate number of nuclear reactors planned for purchase from US suppliers,” but would consider increasing the ceiling “to cover Iran’s entitlement” from their proposed $1 billion investment in a 20 percent stake in one of the private US uranium enrichment facilities that would be supplying Iran. The strategy paper also explains under what terms the Ford administration would be willing to grant Iran approval to reprocess US supplied fuel.

   Iran’s Enrichment for the US Built Tehran Research Reactor

   Iran to pursue investment in French Eurodif

   In 1974, Iran invested more than $1 bn in a joint French-Iranian company specialising in uranium enrichment called Sofidif, which itself owns 25 pct of Eurodif. As a result, Iran holds indirectly about 10 pct of Eurodif, which is 60 pct owned by Aréva.

   Aréva denies unit supplied Iran with enriched uranium

   ○ Breaking News – Iran, US start bilateral nuclear talks in Geneva

   • 

     Don Durito on November 23, 2013 at 11:32 am

     Back in the day when Iran had a US-backed dictator calling the shots.

2. 

   seabe on November 23, 2013 at 4:09 am

   Nuclear Rights and the P5+1 Talks with Iran

   Currently, the most fundamental sticking point in Geneva is–as we have long anticipated–the Obama administration’s refusal to recognize Iran’s clear legal right to enrich uranium under safeguards and to acknowledge that the Islamic Republic will have to be treated like any other NPT party.  As we’ve written before, see here, Iran and all other states have a sovereign right to pursue indigenous fuel cycle capabilities–a right recognized in Article IV of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as an “inalienable right,” which non-nuclear-weapon states pledge to exercise in line with Article II (where non-weapons states commit not to build or obtain nuclear weapons) and Article III (where states commit to conducting their nuclear activities under safeguards to be negotiated with the International Atomic Energy Agency).    

   As Flynt explains, the Obama administration–like the George W. Bush administration before it–resists recognizing this legal reality:      

   “There are basically four countries in the world that try to deny that the NPT recognizes the right of a non-nuclear weapon state like Iran to enrich uranium under safeguards.  Those four countries are the United States, France, the United Kingdom, and Israel, which isn’t even a signatory to the NPT.  Those are the only four countries that take this position.  The rest of the world–the BRICS, the Non-Aligned Movement, key U.S. allies like Germany and Japan–have held consistently that the Treaty recognizes a right to enrich.  And what is so perverse is that…when the U.S. and the Soviet Union first opened the NPT for signature in 1968, senior U.S. officials testified to Congress that the NPT recognized a right to safeguarded enrichment.  That was the position of the United States until the end of the Cold War–and then we decided to try to unilaterally rewrite the Treaty because we didn’t want non-Western countries getting fuel cycle capabilities.”      

   We’ll see if the Obama administration can do any better this weekend.

   • 

     seabe on November 23, 2013 at 4:18 am

     No exaggeration 2 say millions of #Iran-ians watching #Geneva w/ hope of a deal. All over FB/Twt. The fever in par w/ a major footbal match
     ~Bahman Kalbasi

     https://twitter.com/BahmanKalbasi

3. 

   Oui on November 24, 2013 at 3:12 am

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   Fact Sheet: First Step Understandings Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program

   President Obama has been clear that achieving a peaceful resolution that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon is in America’s national security interest. Today, the P5+1 and Iran reached a set of initial understandings that halts the progress of Iran’s nuclear program and rolls it back in key respects. These are the first meaningful limits that Iran has accepted on its nuclear program in close to a decade. The initial, six month step includes significant limits on Iran’s nuclear program and begins to address our most urgent concerns including Iran’s enrichment capabilities; its existing stockpiles of enriched uranium; the number and capabilities of its centrifuges; and its ability to produce weapons-grade plutonium using the Arak reactor. The concessions Iran has committed to make as part of this first step will also provide us with increased transparency and intrusive monitoring of its nuclear program.

   President Obama Delivers Remarks on Iran’s Nuclear Program

   ○ CNN Breaking News: Historic Iran Nuclear Deal
4. 

   Oui on November 24, 2013 at 4:13 am

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   United States takes a ‘new path’ forward in the Middle East!

   (Mondoweiss) – An historic deal, a giant shift in the US relationship to the Middle East, and there is jubilation around the world.

   Javad Zarif – We have reached an agreement.

   The Iranian President is proud, restrained, but sees a new way opening for his country.

   Hassan Rouhani – ‏ Iranian people’s vote for #moderation & constructive engagement + tireless efforts by negotiating teams are to open new horizons. #IranTalks.

   Department of State – These photos take you behind the scenes at the #IranTalks in Geneva: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjMV29QC  | Trip details: http://go.usa.gov/WfPY.

   Just now on MSNBC Chuck Todd said this could be a “crowning achievement” of the Obama administration, though the domestic fallout will be a big problem. Domestic fallout means: the lobby.

   The Obama administration is releasing the president’s statement in tweets that are aimed at the skeptics, emphasizing that this is a deal to stop Iranian nukes. But also, joy:

   White House – Obama: “As I have said many times, my strong preference is to resolve this issue peacefully–we have extended the hand of diplomacy.” #Iran.

   A sense of the moment here:

   White House – President Obama on #Iran: “Today, that diplomacy opened up a new path toward a world that is more secure.”

   Ali Gharib – Kerry calls out people who would just “put on more pressure, turn the screws” in hopes that Iran “capitulates or collapses” // #AIPAC.
   Already threats of a disaster due to this deal:

   Ali Gharib – Jesus christ. RT @JMDavido: Naftali Bennett: If a suitcase bomb explodes in New York, it’s because of this deal.”

   ○ Israeli Minister Bennett Warns of Islamic Terrorist Bomb in New York, Nuclear Missile Strike on Rome
   ○ Facebook Naftali Bennett and JPost article Naftali Bennett Out-Bibi-ing Bibi in DC
   ○ Israel denounces Iranian nuclear deal, says it will review options
5. 

   Oui on November 24, 2013 at 4:21 am

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   from my diary – Obama On Path Towards Grand-Slam In Diplomacy

   If John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov illustrate their determination …
    STEP 1 –  Resolve CW issue on Syria
    STEP 2 –  Arms embargo and a political solution for Syria
    STEP 3 –  Resolve nuclear issue of Iran with president Rouhani
    STEP 4 –  Finalize a peace treaty between Israel and Palestine

   Obama made a courageous decision stepping away from 35 years of biased US policy on the Middle East. Angry Arab states Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar plus Turkey and Israel. Praise from Russia, Iran and Iraq (Maliki).

6. 

   Oui on November 24, 2013 at 6:10 am

   .
   Do I detect a somewhat soured smile?

   Source: Mondoweiss

   Gharib tweeted this photo of Zarif hugging France’s Laurent Fabius, the strongest advocate for Israel at the talks.

    « click for more
   Zarif hugs Fabius

   Jubilation from Zbig Brzezinski:

   Zbigniew Brzezinski – Obama/Kerry = best policy team since Bush I/Jim Baker. Congress is finally becoming embarrassed by Netanyahu’s efforts to dictate US policy.

   And a foolish response to Brzezinski from Jeffrey Goldberg:

   Jeffrey Goldberg – Jews run America, suggests ex-national security adviser: https://twitter.com/zbig/status/402826354778832898.

   My earlier diary about James Baker III – 20 Years of Failed Middle-East Peace Policy  July 12, 2012.

   ○ Iran nuclear talks stall; Fabius: Will not accept ‘sucker’s deal’ – Nov. 9, 2013

7. 

   Oui on November 24, 2013 at 6:24 am

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   Article in France24 and no mention of FM Laurent Fabius. Also his twitter account is speechless.

   Iran strikes landmark nuclear deal with world powers

   (France24) – Iran on Sunday struck a landmark interim deal with the United States and five world powers, committing to halt the expansion of its uranium enrichment programme in exchange for a limited easing of sanctions.

   The agreement is the most significant development between Washington and Tehran in more than three decades of estrangement between the two nations.

   Obama said the deal’s provisions are key to preventing Iran from proliferating. `’Simply put, they cut off Iran’s most likely paths to a bomb,” he told reporters.

   The deal marks a milestone between the two countries, which broke diplomatic ties 34 years ago when Iran’s Islamic revolution climaxed in the storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. Since then, relations between the two countries have been frigid to hostile – until the recent outreach between the two presidents.

   La Libération – Premier accord historique sur le nucléaire iranien

8. 

   Oui on November 24, 2013 at 7:22 am

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   Israel has manifested bad diplomacy towards greatest ally United States during the Obama administration. Bibi Netanyahu knows it, will he suffer a backlash in domestic politics?

   Netanyahu says Iran nuclear deal is ‘historic mistake’

   (JPost) – Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu characterized the agreement signed with Iran early Sunday morning as a historic mistake.

   Directly contrasting US President Barack Obama who praised the agreement as opening a “new path toward a world that is more secure,”  Netanyahu – speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting — said the world has become more dangerous as a result.

   “What was agreed last night in Geneva is not a historic agreement, it is a historic mistake. Today the world has become much more dangerous because the most dangerous regime in the world took a significant step to getting the most dangerous weapon in the world.”

   For the first time, he said, the leading powers of the world agreed to uranium enrichment in Iran, while removing sanctions that it has taken years to build up in exchange for “cosmetic Iranian concession that are possible to do away with in a matter of weeks.”

   Netanyahu said the consequences of this deal threaten many countries, including Israel. He reiterated what he has said in the past, that Israel is not obligated by the agreement.

   “Iran is committed to Israel’s destruction, and Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself by itself against any threat. I want to make clear as the prime minister of Israel, Israel will not allow Iran develop a military nuclear capability.”

   Yet Israeli officials stopped short of threatening unilateral military action that could further isolate the Jewish state and imperil its bedrock alliance with Washington, saying more time was needed to assess the agreement.

   …
   The deputy speaker of parliament, Likud MK Moshe Feiglin, said the interim agreement signed between Iran and the Western powers was tantamount to the Munich Agreement of the late 1930s.

   “Like Czechoslovakia at that time, which was not party to the discussions that effectively sentenced it to death, Israel today watches from the sidelines how its existential interest is being sacrificed by the Western powers.”

   “Any rational person understands that we are in the midst of a process leads to a nuclear-armed Iran. For years I have warned about the dangers of the strategy adopted by Israel towards the Iranian nuclear threat.”

   Feiglin said that entrusting foreign powers to secure Israel’s defense interests is “disastrous” and “much worse than that which led to the Yom Kippur War.”

   …
   Meretz chairwoman Zehava Gal-On on Sunday praised the agreement while criticizing the Israeli government for overlooking important components of the deal.

   “The Israeli government ministers’ assault on the agreement takes attention away from the fact that clauses of the deal include the most important goal which was the dismantling and rolling back of the fast track to the bomb,” she said.

   United States and Iran secretly engaged in a series of high-level, face-to-face talks over the past year

   ○ US Congressmen Defending Israel’s Interest  Jan. 20, 2013
   ○ Sarkozy Thinks Netanyahu a Liar, Obama Agrees  Nov. 8, 2011
   ○ Sarkozy: Netanyahu’s Foot-dragging Is Unacceptable  April 28, 2010
9. 

   Oui on November 24, 2013 at 7:58 am

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   Wary silence from Arabs over Iran deal

   RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Daily Star/Reuters) – Iran’s nuclear deal with global powers was met with wary silence from Arab states on Sunday, with Iran’s only two Arab friends Iraq and Syria welcoming the accord but others keeping their opinions to themselves.

   All Arab countries apart from Syria and Iraq are ruled by Sunni Muslims who mainly regard Shi’ite Iran as a foe and have been deeply uneasy over the prospect of any rapprochement with the West that would benefit Tehran.

   Arab leaders worry that the deal, under which Iran is being given relief from sanctions in return for curbs to its nuclear programme, signals a thaw in the 30 years of hostility between Tehran and Washington which will give Iran more regional clout.

   …
   In the hours before Sunday’s deal was sealed, Gulf Arab leaders, including Saudi King Abdullah and the rulers of Qatar and Kuwait, met late on Saturday night to discuss “issues of interest to the three nations”.

   The Gulf Arab rulers oppose Iran on countless fronts across the region, including Syria, where they fund and arm rebels fighting against Iran’s friend, President Bashar al-Assad. They accuse Tehran of fomenting unrest in a range of countries including Yemen, Bahrain, Lebanon and Iraq. Iran denies such meddling.

   By contrast, Iraq, which has a Shi’ite-led government and is the only Arab state that is openly friendly with both the United States and Iran, was quick to praise the agreement.

   “The reaching of a deal between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the six international powers is seen as a major step for the region’s security and stability levels,” Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a statement.

   Region will lose sleep over Iran deal: Saudi adviser

   ○ The Iran Talks: Saudi-Arabia Is Getting Out of the Closet
10. 

    Oui on November 24, 2013 at 2:54 pm

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    Winners and losers of nuclear deal

    (Ynet News) – Deal reached in Geneva between Iran, western powers left certain sides satisfied, others less. As Iran, US are triumphant, Israel, Saudi Arabia come up short. How does deal affect Israel’s Mideast neighbors? A political balance sheet.

    European Union
    In 2012, the EU received the Nobel Peace Prize for six decades of “advancing peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.” Saturday night, the bloc of nations justified its earning of the precious prize when it signed the accord with Iran and the world powers without firing a single bullet. High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton spent the last few months in long debates and discussions with the Iranian representatives, including Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister. During all the talks, Ashton supported a diplomatic solution, and for the time being, it looks as if she has the upper hand in the negotiations, and with a permanent deal ready to be signed that will further Iran from its nuclear ambitions.

    Russia
    The optimism paid off in the form of a deal. Lavrov was one of the key architects in the deal. He, like Kerry, accumulated thousands of travel miles, met with the Iranian and Western representatives, and at the end of day helped achieve the deal and strengthened Russia’s status in the Middle East.

    Asian Oil Customers
    Sanctions on Iran’s oil exports will remain in place during the six-month period covered by the deal, but world powers promise no new economic measures against Tehran as long as compliance moves ahead. This is good news for energy-hungry Asian economies such as India, China and Japan, which have received US waivers to continue Iranian oil imports.

    Dubai
    Long before the Gulf city-state was a symbol of gilded excess, it prospered as a commercial crossroads with places such as Iran. Its ports and air cargo terminals were once brimming with Iran-bound goods. Sanctions have sharply cut into the traditional trade and livelihood of many in the large Iranian expatriate community in Dubai. Anything that brings back Iranian business, even in limited steps, is welcome in Dubai.

11. 

    Oui on November 24, 2013 at 4:46 pm

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    The story behind the deal: Israel kept out of the loop as secret US/Iran meetings took place in Oman

    It’s a brand new day. As shares in Gulf markets climb, people are celebrating the historic deal around the world with a collective sigh of relief. U.S. mainstream media reports a “3-decade gridlock broken” and “game-changing rapprochement” it’s lots of doom and gloom over in Israel, they’re not taking any part in “the international celebration“.

    Details have emerged the U.S. had been holding secret meetings with Iranian officials in the Omani capital of Muscat since last March, facilitated by Sultan Qaboos of Oman …

12. 

    sofiajames on November 25, 2013 at 2:19 am

    True you can differentiate between “Jews” and the state of Israel if you wish, while conveniently ignoring my point about unprovoked attacks. My point was that it’s not all one sided, it takes two to tango, and when most of the Arab states are also opposed to Iran going nuclear you have to wonder?
    Small business Loans For Women

13. 

    Oui on November 25, 2013 at 2:18 pm

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    As reported by Juan Cole …

    US-Iran War Averted by Agreement to Negotiate on Nuclear Enrichment

    The decade-long Neoconservative plot to take the United States to war against Iran appears to have been foiled.

    In 2003, the Neocon chickenhawks, most of whom had never worn a uniform or had a parent who did, joked that “everyone wants to go to Baghdad; real men want to go to Tehran.” When people have to talk about being “real men,” it is a pretty good sign that they are 98-pound weaklings.

    The “everyone” who wanted to go to Baghdad was actually just the Neocons and their fellow travelers. Most of the latter were hoodwinked by the Neocon/Cheney misinformation campaign blaming Saddam Hussein of Iraq for 9/11. A majority of Democratic representatives in the lower house of Congress voted against the idea of going to war. The Iraq War, trumped up on false pretenses and mainly to protect the militant right wing in Israel from having a credible military rival in the region and to put Iraqi petroleum on the market to weaken Saudi Arabia, cost the United States nearly 5000 troops, hundreds more Veterans working as contractors, and probably $3 or $4 trillion- money we do not have since our economy has collapsed and hasn’t recovered except for wealthy stockholders.

    Binyamin Netanyahu was a cheerleader for the Iraq War. He is now deeply wounded that the US is making peace with Iran. He seems to see the US as his personal doberman pinscher, which he is used to siccing on his rivals in the region whenever they complain about his aggressive land thefts.

    ○ Bill Kristol: Iran’s leaders a ‘gang of obscurantist thugs, anti-Semites, rapists, torturers, and murderers.’
    ○ Israeli Minister Bennett Warns of Islamic Terrorist Bomb in New York, Nuclear Missile Strike on Rome
    ○ Facebook Naftali Bennett and JPost article Naftali Bennett Out-Bibi-ing Bibi in DC

14. 

    Oui on November 25, 2013 at 2:48 pm

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    Netanyahu sending security adviser to U.S. for talks on Iran deal

    (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would soon send a team led by his national security adviser to Washington for talks with the United States on a final nuclear deal with Iran.

    “I spoke last night with President Obama. We agreed that in the coming days an Israeli team led by the national security adviser, Yossi Cohen, will go out to discuss with the United States the permanent accord with Iran,” he said in public remarks to members of his Likud party.

    “This accord must bring about one outcome: the dismantling of Iran’s military nuclear capability,” said Netanyahu, who has described Sunday’s interim deal between world powers and Iran as a historic mistake.

    Israel’s parliamentary opposition leader Isaac Herzog urged Netanyahu to reduce tensions with Washington over the Iran deal. Netanyahu should minimize confrontation with the Obama administration “and restore the intimate dialogue with the leaders of the big powers”, Herzog, the newly elected head of Israel’s left-of-centre Labour Party, told Israel Radio.

    ○ Netanyahu’s Ex-Aide: Israel Can Stop Iran ‘For a Very Long Time’
    • 

      kafkananda on November 26, 2013 at 6:22 pm

      What pathetic utterances from Yaakov Amidror, former Israeli security advisor. (And how many former ‘security advisors does Israel have? Seems like half the population.) The flip side to braggadocio is the pitiful collapse. The Israeli political elites are in chaos. They know that once the hasbara is seen through, the house of cards tumbles.

15. 

    Oui on November 26, 2013 at 12:41 pm

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    Iranian nuclear deal strains Obama’s relations with big Jewish donors

    (The Hill) – The Iran nuclear deal has put new strains on President Obama’s relationship with Jewish donors, a pillar of Democratic fundraising. The U.S.-led agreement— endorsed by France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia — has attracted criticism from Democratic allies of Israel, including Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.).

    The timing of the pact set the stage for awkward moments at a scheduled Democratic fundraiser in Beverly Hills, Calif., Monday night. Obama attended an event, hosted by Haim Saban, an Israeli-American media mogul.

    Obama attacked the issue head-on, telling about 120 donors who paid $16,200 per person to attend the dinner at Saban’s sprawling estate that the agreement with Iran opens “the prospect that we’ll be able to, through peaceful, diplomatic means, remove this cloud that has hovered over the Middle East that had the potential and continues to have the potential of triggering a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region of the world.”

    Saban drew applause when he told the donors, gathered in his back yard in a heated tent bathed in orange/gold light, according to a pool reporter, that “the president’s commitment to Israel’s security has never been stronger.”

    “And if the Iranians are at the negotiating table today, make no mistake about it, it is only as a result of President Obama’s resolve in striking down the most strict sanctions ever,” Saban added.

    List of Likud Campaign Donor Prospects, ‘Bibi’s Foreign Legion’