Month: July 2015

PITTSBURGH — President Obama said Tuesday that opponents of the nuclear deal with Iran were behaving like those who pushed for war with Iraq more than a decade ago, and said the United States should choose diplomacy instead of another rush to armed conflict. In remarks to members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Mr. Obama said the criticism of the Iran agreement offered “echoes of some of the same mind-set and policies that failed us in the past,” and was being put forward by “the same folks who were so quick to go to war in Iraq.” The president did not mention President George W. Bush or Vice President Dick Cheney by name in his remarks, but the implication was clear. As he seeks to persuade members of Congress not to reject the Iran deal, Mr. Obama urged what he called “a smarter, more responsible way to protect […]

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Photo Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif defended the nuclear deal in the Iranian Parliament on Tuesday. A delay will allow Iran to see how the American Congress reacts to the deal. Credit Abedin Taherkenareh/European Pressphoto Agency TEHRAN — The Iranian Parliament will wait at least 80 days before voting on a nuclear agreement reached last week with world powers, as legislators decided on Tuesday to form a committee to study the accord, state radio reported. The legislators have effectively opted to withhold their judgment until they know whether the American Congress approves of the deal, analysts said, as a way to avoid losing face by appearing to look weak if the agreement is rejected by their counterparts in the United States. The parliamentary delay in voting also was seen as a way to position the Americans to get the blame if Congress repudiates the agreement, which Iran and six […]

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European and U.S. oil-and-gas companies drawn to Iran as sanctions ebb can expect to encounter not only opportunities, but also capable Iranian companies offering tough competition or joint ventures. While no Iranian companies have attained the prowess of integrated oil-and-gas firms such as Exxon Mobil Corp. XOM -0.12 % or big service outfits like Schlumberger Ltd. SLB 0.93 % , a new breed has emerged during Iran’s years of economic isolation. They can take on engineering tasks—such as laying pipelines, building offshore platforms and drilling wells—that previously were handled by foreign companies. If the nuclear agreement comes into effect and economic sanctions are lifted against Iran by the end of this year or early in 2016, those Iranian companies will be well positioned to compete for tens of billions of dollars in service contracts or to forge strategic relationships with Western companies, say industry officials. “One of the good […]

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WASHINGTON—The Obama administration and European Union agreed as part of the accord last week to lift sanctions over eight years on a network of Iranian scientists, military officers and companies long suspected by the U.S. and United Nations as central players in a covert nuclear weapons program. The U.S. also agreed to remove a German engineer from its financial blacklist by late 2023 after he was targeted by sanctions for his alleged role in a global black market in nuclear weapons technology run by the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan. The decision to roll back sanctions on these individuals and organizations is detailed in more than 100 pages of documents released last week as part of the landmark nuclear accord reached between Iran and six world powers. The intricate agreement is accompanied by five detailed annexes and technical attachments that spell out many of the long-term […]

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Western companies eager to take advantage of the new nuclear agreement with Iran face a host of challenges. One of the biggest: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. A branch of Iran’s military, the force is charged with defending the country’s Islamic system. During years of sanctions and economic isolation , it has also established itself as one of the country’s most powerful economic forces. Through an opaque-but-vast network of companies it controls, the Guards have interests in construction, manufacturing, banking and shipping, among other industries, said people familiar with the organization. Khatam al-Anbia, an engineering and construction firm at the heart of the Guards’ business empire, estimates the long-term value of its contracts is about $50 billion, equivalent to around 12% of Iran’s gross domestic product. If Iran implements the terms of the deal reached with six world partners in mid-July, many sanctions could be lifted by early next year. […]

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Negotiators of Iran and six world powers face each other at a table in the historic basement of Palais Coburg hotel in Vienna April 24, 2015. Iran will not accept any extension of sanctions relating to its nuclear program beyond 10 years, the Islamic Republic’s senior nuclear negotiator said on Wednesday. Abbas Araqchi told a televised news conference that any attempt to re-impose sanctions after they expire in 10 years would breach the agreement Iran reached with six world powers one week ago. Araqchi was referring to a resolution the United Nations Security Council passed on Monday, endorsing the deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions. The world powers suspected Iran was trying to create a nuclear bomb; Tehran said the program was peaceful. The resolution allows all U.N. sanctions to be re-imposed if Iran violates the agreement in the next 10 years. If […]

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