Iran's Comments on Israel Deemed 'Unacceptable' as Talks Open

Iran’s leader launched an anti-Western broadside as global powers resumed negotiations on curbing Tehran’s nuclear program, injecting fresh uncertainty into a diplomatic process viewed as crucial to Middle East stability. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s verbal attacks on Israel, the U.S. and its allies during a speech in Tehran Wednesday—he referred to the Jewish state as a “dirty rabid dog”—also tested the unity of the six international powers holding talks with Iran in Geneva this week. The French government quickly challenged Mr. Khamenei, calling his speech “unacceptable,” while the Obama administration offered a much milder response. This divergence mirrored the differing tactics Paris and Washington displayed two weeks ago during negotiations in the Swiss lakeside city. Then, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius publicly broke from the U.S. and other international powers and called the terms of the agreement being pursued with Tehran a “fool’s game.” French officials said Wednesday […]

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Iran’s Comments on Israel Deemed ‘Unacceptable’ as Talks Open

Iran’s leader launched an anti-Western broadside as global powers resumed negotiations on curbing Tehran’s nuclear program, injecting fresh uncertainty into a diplomatic process viewed as crucial to Middle East stability. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s verbal attacks on Israel, the U.S. and its allies during a speech in Tehran Wednesday—he referred to the Jewish state as a “dirty rabid dog”—also tested the unity of the six international powers holding talks with Iran in Geneva this week. The French government quickly challenged Mr. Khamenei, calling his speech “unacceptable,” while the Obama administration offered a much milder response. This divergence mirrored the differing tactics Paris and Washington displayed two weeks ago during negotiations in the Swiss lakeside city. Then, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius publicly broke from the U.S. and other international powers and called the terms of the agreement being pursued with Tehran a “fool’s game.” French officials said Wednesday […]

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Gulf Arabs Face Mixed Blessing From an Iran Accord: Arab Credit

A nuclear deal between Iran and countries including the U.S. and Russia could prompt sovereign upgrades of Persian Gulf Arab nations even as it may cut their revenue by causing oil prices to fall, according to IHS Inc. “The reduction in geopolitical risk would serve as a key trigger for a sovereign ratings review for the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and potentially an upgrade,” Bryan Plamondon, an economist specializing in the Middle East at energy consultant IHS, said yesterday by e-mail from Lexington, Massachusetts . “Countries would then likely see benefits in the form of lower borrowing costs and greater foreign investment.” Talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group of world powers resumed yesterday in Geneva. “Differences that remain between the parties are narrow, and I believe they can be bridged with political will and commitment,” U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague said in the city. Concern […]

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World powers, Iran make new attempt to clinch nuclear deal

GENEVA (Reuters) – World powers aim to clinch a preliminary deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program in politically charged talks resuming in Geneva on Wednesday to end a long standoff and head off the risk of a wider Middle East war. The United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany came tantalizingly close to winning concessions from Iran on the scope of its nuclear work in return for some sanctions relief at negotiations in the Swiss city on November 7-9. Top policymakers from the sextet have since said that an interim accord on confidence-building steps to start defusing a decade of suspicion and hostility between the West and Iran could finally be within reach. But diplomats caution that differences remain and could still prevent an agreement during the talks Wednesday through Friday. "There is a good chance. There is a hope the Iranians realize it’s a good deal and […]

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A look at Iran nuclear sites from mine to reactor

AP Photo Nuclear talks resume Wednesday between Iran and world powers after the last round stalled over issues that include Iran’s planned heavy water reactor and the levels of uranium enrichment. Iran later agreed to provide U.N. nuclear inspectors with greater information and access, but it’s uncertain whether the concessions will be enough to push envoys in Geneva closer to a deal. Iran seeks a rollback in U.S.-led economic sanctions, while the West is pressing it to curb its uranium enrichment – the process to make nuclear fuel. In the past decade, Iran’s nuclear program has advanced on many fronts and more facilities are planned. —- RAISED AT TALKS – ARAK HEAVY WATER REACTOR: Such reactors can run on non-enriched uranium as fuel and uses a molecular variant of water as a coolant. Heavy water reactors also produce more plutonium byproducts than conventional reactors. Plutonium can be used in […]

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Iran says sees good chance of success at Geneva nuclear talks

DUBAI/ROME (Reuters) – The protracted dispute over Iran’s nuclear program can now be resolved and world powers should seize a "historic opportunity" to clinch a deal, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in remarks released on Tuesday. Iran is to meet with the six powers on Wednesday in Geneva for a third round of negotiations in a month, nearly two weeks after the sides neared an initial accord that would curb Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for limited relief from sanctions. In Washington, President Barack Obama attempted to build support for a prospective Iran deal with skeptical members of the U.S. Senate, some of whom have been considering adding new sanctions on Tehran in a move that the White House argues would harm diplomatic efforts. In another sign of a thaw between the West and Iran, David Cameron telephoned Hassan Rouhani, marking the first time a British prime […]

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Beirut Bombs Strike at Iran as Assad’s Ally

BEIRUT, Lebanon — A double bombing struck the Iranian Embassy compound in Beirut on Tuesday, in the deadliest assault on Iran’s interests since it emerged as the most forceful backer of the Syrian government against an armed insurgency. The frontal attack struck a symbol of the country’s powerful influence in Lebanon and neighboring Syria. The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, an offshoot of Al Qaeda that operates in Lebanon, claimed responsibility for the bombings, which killed at least 23 people, including an Iranian diplomat. Syria, Iran and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant organization, pointed fingers at Israel and Saudi Arabia, and officials said it was unclear who had carried out the attack. Regardless, it was quickly seen as retaliation against Iran and Hezbollah, Iran’s ally, for supporting the Syrian government. The double bombing highlighted the risks and costs that Iran faces over Syria, which some analysts have called Iran’s Vietnam. Others say […]

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Israelis Embrace French President for Iran Position

JERUSALEM — President François Hollande’s trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories, like all state visits, was planned months ago. But coming days before France and other world powers prepared to resume the nuclear talks with Iran in Geneva, the three-day visit that started on Sunday could not have come at a more opportune time for Israel — or for France, according to some Israeli officials. The warm greetings exchanged by the French and Israeli leaders gave an international boost to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, who has been conducting a campaign against a deal he calls “dangerous” even before the final details have been negotiated. At the same time, a senior Israeli official said, the country’s praise for Mr. Hollande’s tough stance at the nuclear talks “will provide a boost to France and even more motivation for it to stay the course.” For years, France has been […]

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Split on Accord on Iran Strains U.S.-Israel Ties

WASHINGTON — To the Israeli government, the preliminary deal with Iran that the Obama administration is trying to seal this week is a giveaway to a government that has spent two decades building a vast nuclear program. It enshrines the status quo — at a time when the Iranians are within reach of the technical capability to build a bomb — and rewards some unproven leaders with cash and sanctions relief. President Obama and his top aides see the same draft deal in sharply different terms. To them, it is a first effort to freeze the Iranian program, to buy some time to negotiate a more ambitious deal, and to stop two separate methods of developing a bomb, one involving uranium, the other plutonium. In return, the Iranians get modest relief from sanctions, but not what they desperately desire, the ability to again sell oil around the world. That […]

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Iran State Gas Company Faces Collapse, Hit by Sanctions

Iran’s national gas company said it is facing collapse, the latest sign of deepening economic distress from international sanctions as Tehran seeks urgent relief in talks with world powers. The chief executive officer of state-owned National Iranian Gas Company, Hamid Reza Araghi, said over the weekend that the company has declared bankruptcy, according to the semiofficial Mehr news agency. The report said the company had a debt of 100 trillion rials, or about $4 billion. The company tried to backtrack on the comments Monday. Majid Boujarzadeh, a spokesman reached by phone, denied it was bankrupt. But media reports also quoted Iran’s oil minister, Bijan Zangeneh, as saying the gas company “is destroyed.” The sanctions, aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, have devastated the country’s critical energy industry. While gas is a relatively small income generator, oil exports, a major revenue source, have been slashed by nearly […]

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Iran president warns against “excessive demands” at nuclear talks

TEHRAN, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Monday against what he called “excessive demands” by some powers at nuclear talks, saying that it will be detrimental to the negotiations, Press TV reported. “At the recent Geneva talks, good progress was made, but everyone must realize that excessive demands could complicate the process towards a win-win agreement,” Rouhani said in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. “From our point of view, there should not be a situation in which the will of parties to reach mutually acceptable agreement is affected,” Rouhani was quoted as saying. The Iranian president did not expand on the “excessive demands, ” but western media reported on Monday that French President Francois Hollande has put forward some major demands to Iran ahead of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 — the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France […]

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Iran president warns against "excessive demands" at nuclear talks

TEHRAN, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Monday against what he called “excessive demands” by some powers at nuclear talks, saying that it will be detrimental to the negotiations, Press TV reported. “At the recent Geneva talks, good progress was made, but everyone must realize that excessive demands could complicate the process towards a win-win agreement,” Rouhani said in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday. “From our point of view, there should not be a situation in which the will of parties to reach mutually acceptable agreement is affected,” Rouhani was quoted as saying. The Iranian president did not expand on the “excessive demands, ” but western media reported on Monday that French President Francois Hollande has put forward some major demands to Iran ahead of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 — the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France […]

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Iran needs to extend natural gas pipeline network, official says

TEHRAN, Nov. 18 (UPI) — Iran needs more than 3,700 miles of pipeline installed to respond to domestic needs in the natural gas sector, a gas company director said Monday. Reza Almasi, managing director of the National Iranian Gas Transfer Co., said an extension of that length is needed on a gas pipeline network that now covers 21,000 miles, the Fars News Agency reported. Almasi said he was responding to a request from the federal government to overhaul the pipeline network to keep up with domestic demand for natural gas. “Up to the present, [the] gas pipeline network has been designed and built just to connect the feeding points and consumption markets without considering any alternative network for emergency situations, and construction of this extra network requires $15 billion to $20 billion dollars of investments,” he said. Taylor Swift diss by Victoria’s Secret model a misunderstanding Two hospitalized after […]

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Lebanon blasts near Iran's embassy in Beirut

Breaking news 19 November 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Seven people have been reported killed as explosions struck near the Iranian embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Conflicting reports say the blasts could have come from rockets or a car bomb. Several buildings were damaged, eyewitnesses said. Iran is a major backer of the Lebanaese Shia militant group Hezbollah, which has sent fighters to Syria to back the government of Bashar al-Assad. The conflict in Syria has worsened sectarian tensions in Lebanon. The area around the Iranian embassy, in south Beirut, is considered a Hezbollah stronghold. On 15 August, 16 people were killed in a blast in south Beirut. Hezbollah fighters were instrumental in a strategic victory by Syrian government forces in Qusair, close to the border with Lebanon, in early June.

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Lebanon blasts near Iran’s embassy in Beirut

Breaking news 19 November 2013 Last updated at 08:22 Seven people have been reported killed as explosions struck near the Iranian embassy in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Conflicting reports say the blasts could have come from rockets or a car bomb. Several buildings were damaged, eyewitnesses said. Iran is a major backer of the Lebanaese Shia militant group Hezbollah, which has sent fighters to Syria to back the government of Bashar al-Assad. The conflict in Syria has worsened sectarian tensions in Lebanon. The area around the Iranian embassy, in south Beirut, is considered a Hezbollah stronghold. On 15 August, 16 people were killed in a blast in south Beirut. Hezbollah fighters were instrumental in a strategic victory by Syrian government forces in Qusair, close to the border with Lebanon, in early June.

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Strains With Israel Over Iran Snarl U.S. Goals in Mideast

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration’s overtures to Iran are straining the U.S. alliance with Israel in ways not seen in decades, compounding concerns about the White House’s ability to manage the Middle East’s proliferating security crises, said current and former American diplomats. In a sign of Israel’s growing disaffection with Washington, French President François Hollande was given a hero’s welcome when he arrived in Tel Aviv on Sunday for a three-day visit that would showcase Paris’s hard line against Iran’s nuclear program ahead of international talks in Geneva this week. Mr. Netanyahu reiterated his criticism that the U.S.-backed compromise was a “very bad deal” while hailing Mr. Hollande for his opposition to the agreement at a joint news conference Sunday evening in Jerusalem. “Your support and your friendship is real. It’s sincere. You were one out of six,” he said, referring to the six world powers participating in talks with Iran. […]

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Israel steps up rhetoric ahead of Iran talks

President Shimon Peres (L) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R), welcome French President Francois Hollande (C) and his companion Valerie Trierweiler upon their arrival at Ben Gurion ©Getty President Shimon Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcome French President Francois Hollande at Ben Gurion Israel escalated its rhetoric over Iran’s nuclear programme at the weekend, with a senior official warning it was prepared to launch a unilateral military strike against Iran. Although Israel has talked many times about its willingness to take military action on its own, this warning comes ahead of diplomatic talks with Iran on Wednesday that US officials say are “close” to success. At the same time, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, took to the American airwaves again on Sunday to blast the Obama administration over the prospect of a deal with Iran and to lobby public opinion against any agreement. François Hollande, French […]

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French Leader Assures Israel He Will Keep Pressure on Iran

JERUSALEM — As France and other world powers prepared to resume talks with Iran this week on its disputed nuclear program, the French president, François Hollande, arrived in Israel on Sunday for a three-day visit and was warmly embraced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been conducting a lonely campaign against a deal he calls “bad” and “dangerous.” At a red-carpet welcoming ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport, Mr. Netanyahu thanked Mr. Hollande for his “resolute stance” on both Syria and Iran, and Mr. Hollande assured Israel that France “will not tolerate nuclear proliferation.” He pledged to keep up the pressure on Iran until it was clear that Iran had given up its quest for nuclear weapons, and declared in Hebrew, “I will always remain a friend of Israel.” Talks in Geneva on Nov. 9 between Iran and six world powers — France, the United States, Germany, Britain, Russia […]

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Israel Working With Saudi Arabia On Iran “Contingency” Attack

Israel Working With Saudi Arabia On Iran “Contingency” Attack Page added on November 17, 2013 When last week’s Iran nuclear talks were blocked by France , it provided a useful glimpse into just who it was that would benefit politically from a continuation of the regional confrontation. But while the French sabotage was an amusing distraction, it revealed a curious shift in middle-east alliances, namely old “enemies” Israel and Saudi Arabia, both feeling shunned by Big Brother, suddenly becoming the best of buddies. It was only a matter of time before this novel alliance moved beyond just paper and tested how far it could go in real life. Said test may come far sooner than expected: according to the Sunday Times, Israel’s Mossad and Saudi Arabia are planning an attack against Iran if negotiations and talks don’t come to an agreement , and that Saudia Arabia will permit Israel […]

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Iraq’s Delays in Finishing Pipeline Defer Iran Gas Exports

Page added on November 17, 2013 While some Iranian energy officials had earlier said Iran’s natural gas exports to Iraq would begin by mid-March 2014, higher consumption in Iran during the cold season and Iraq’s delays in constructing its side of the pipeline will defer the project by a few months. Iran, which has the largest gas reserves in the world, seeks to enhance gas production by increasing foreign and domestic investments. But it is still a net importer of the energy source as the local demand has outstripped production increases. Iran is particularly dependent on imports during winter months, when residential heating demand peaks. Iran exports natural gas to Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, and receives pipeline imports from Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Since 2000, Iran’s annual natural gas imports have exceeded its exports in all but two years (2010 and 2012). In 2011 and 2012, Iran […]

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Obama Calls for Patience in Iran Talks

WASHINGTON — President Obama made a vigorous appeal to Congress on Thursday to give breathing space to his efforts to forge a nuclear deal with Iran, and the prospects for an interim agreement may have improved with the release of a report by international inspectors who said that for the first time in years, they saw evidence that the Iranians have put the brakes on their nuclear expansion. The inspectors, from the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that very few new advanced centrifuges had been installed since President Hassan Rouhani of Iran took office in June, promising a new start with the West, and that little significant progress has been made on the construction of a new nuclear reactor, which became a point of contention in negotiations in Geneva last week. The slowdown, according to diplomats familiar with the Iranian work, was clearly political, not driven by technical problems. […]

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Iran puts brakes on nuclear expansion under Rouhani, IAEA report shows

VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran has virtually halted a previously rapid expansion of its uranium-enrichment capacity since Hassan Rouhani became president, a U.N. inspection report showed on Thursday, in a potential boost for diplomacy to end the Iran nuclear dispute. In another finding that may be seen as positive by the West, the quarterly report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said no further major components had been added to a potential plutonium-producing reactor since August. The marked slowdown in the growth of Iranian activity of possible use in developing nuclear bombs may be intended to back up Rouhani’s dramatic shift in tone towards the West after years of worsening confrontation, and strengthen Tehran’s hand in negotiations with world powers due to resume on November 20. The Arak reactor, which Iran previously said it would start up in the first quarter of 2014 but later postponed, is of great […]

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Iran FM hopeful on next round of nuclear talks

AP Photo TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister says he is hopeful ahead of next week’s negotiations with world powers and reiterated Tehran’s demand for recognition of what it calls its “nuclear rights.” Talks between world powers and Iran are set to resume on Wednesday in Geneva after failing to strike an accord last weekend. Both Iran and the United States have blamed each other for the failure to reach agreement to limit Tehran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for an easing of Western sanctions. Mohammad Javad Zarif says in comments carried by the semi-official Fars news agency on Friday that there is no chance for the upcoming round of talks to succeed if the West ignores Iran’s demand for formal recognition of its right to enrich uranium. Iran denies it’s pursuing a nuclear weapon. © 2013 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be […]

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Iran’s nuclear expansion slows, says IAEA

Hassan Rouhani addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York ©Reuters Hassan Rouhani addresses the UN General Assembly in New York Iran has sharply slowed down the expansion of its nuclear programme over the past three months, the international nuclear watchdog said on Thursday, providing a potential boost to ongoing nuclear talks with Tehran . The International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran was continuing to enrich uranium which could potentially be used to build a nuclear bomb , in contravention of a series of UN resolutions. However the Vienna-based watchdog said the rapid expansion in the Iranian programme had come to a near-halt since August, coinciding with the start of the new government of Iran’s more pragmatic president Hassan Rouhani . The report comes ahead of a new round of international talks next week to try and strike a deal that would place […]

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Israeli PM dismisses IAEA report on Iran

  • Netanyahu said he was “not impressed” by the report which charged Iran slowed nuclear activities.   • Netanyahu reiterated his stance that the world powers must keep sanctions against Iran intact.   • Netanyahu campaigns against lifting sanctions and “hurrying into a deal”.   JERUSALEM, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) – Israel i Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday dismissed a report released by the International Atomic Energy Agency ( IAEA ), which indicated that Iran had significantly slowed down its efforts to reach nuclear capabilities. Speaking at a convention for American Jewish youth in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said he was “not impressed” by the report which charged that the rate of uranium enrichment at the nuclear facility in Natenz had dropped significantly in the past three months, under the regime of the recently-elected Hassan Rouhani. The report specifically stated that the stockpile of high-level enriched uranium had risen by five percent since […]

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Iranian Crude Sales Fall to 21-Month Low as Biggest Buyers Cut

Iran, the fifth-largest crude exporter as recently as 2011, sold the least in 21 months in October as China , India , South Korea and Japan curbed purchases amid Western sanctions targeting the nation’s nuclear program. Imports from the Persian Gulf state fell by 45 percent to 715,000 barrels a day last month from September, the International Energy Agency , a Paris-based adviser to 28 nations, said in an e-mailed report today. The shipments, which the IEA estimates from tanker tracking, media reports and customs’ data, would be the smallest since January 2012. U.S. sanctions from the start of last year meant buyers of Iranian oil had to limit purchases or risk having their banks excluded from America’s financial system. Almost all the world’s tankers were barred from hauling the Gulf state’s fuel six months later when European Union rules took effect because the ships were insured by companies […]

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Iran hardliners block Rouhani’s domestic reforms

Hassan Rouhani ©AP Hassan Rouhani, the president of Iran Hassan Rouhani , Iran’s centrist president, may have regime backing in his efforts to reach an agreement with major powers over his country’s nuclear programme, but he is struggling to implement domestic reform as hardliners block his attempts to expand civil liberties. Mr Rouhani is not a reformist but largely owes his surprise victory in the June presidential election to pro-reform groups who mobilised voters in the hopes that his promises of moderation could bring more social and political freedom and improved economic conditions after eight years of suppression under president Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad. But while the president and his government have the strong support of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader and ultimate decision maker, in foreign policy and nuclear negotiations, they remain unprotected in the tense power struggle with hardliners on domestic issues. “A complicated power struggle is going […]

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Iran foreign minister blames West for nuclear talks breakdown

DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit back at U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry late on Tuesday and blamed divisions between Western powers for the failure of talks over Tehran’s disputed nuclear program in Geneva last week. Responding to remarks by Kerry in Abu Dhabi on Monday, Zarif said that blaming Iran only served to undermine confidence in the negotiations which are set for another round on November 20. The United States, the European Union and Iran worked intensively together for months on a proposal to help end the 10-year stand-off over Iran’s nuclear program, diplomats said, but talks in Geneva between Tehran and six world powers to agree the deal ended on Saturday without agreement. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris could not accept a "fool’s game" – in other words, a weak deal with Iran. Diplomats from other Western nations at first […]

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Iran’s Full Return to Oil Market Remains Perilous, Barclays Says

The breakdown of negotiations between the U.S. and world powers highlights how difficult it will be for Iran to make a full return as an oil exporter in the near future, according to Barclays Plc. The six-nation negotiating group in Geneva didn’t agree during Nov. 9 talks with Iran on alterations to its nuclear program that would allow financial sanctions to be eased. Even had the talks been more successful, the U.S. Congress has little appetite to lift measures banning imports of Iranian crude and is considered proposals to tighten sanctions further, Miswin Mahesh, a London-based commodities analyst at Barclays, said today in an e-mailed report. “Given the constellation of forces that could stymie a grand bargain, we contend that the path to Iran’s full return to the oil market remains quite perilous,” Mahesh said. The failure of the talks prompted December Brent crude futures to climb 1.2 percent […]

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Iran Talks Face Resistance in U.S. Congress

WASHINGTON — After having come tantalizingly close over the weekend to an agreement to freeze Iran’s nuclear program , the Obama administration is gingerly weighing a threat to the talks potentially more troublesome than the opaque leadership in Tehran: Congress. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet behind closed doors on Wednesday afternoon with members of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee to try to head off a new round of stiff sanctions on Iran that administration officials fear could derail the talks in Geneva. In addition, Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.; Mr. Kerry; Wendy R. Sherman, the administration’s chief negotiator; and David S. Cohen, under secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, are scheduled to brief Senate Democratic leaders that day in a full-court press to win backing of the diplomatic initiative. But the administration is running headlong into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu […]

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Iran is negotiating with the wrong US officials

John Kerry To understand the dynamics involved in U.S. policy on Iran, it is important to mark the difference between direct and indirect economic sanctions. Direct sanctions bar specific individuals and companies from conducting international trade, using the global banking system or traveling abroad and in some cases result in asset freezes. Most direct sanctions are established and enforced by executive order, and the president has some leeway in easing these sanctions. However, they are not the sanctions that are allegedly crippling Iran’s economy. Indirect sanctions, on the other hand, are based in U.S. law and cannot easily be offered up as bargaining chips in the current negotiations. These sanctions are sometimes called business-choice sanctions or extraterritorial sanctions. They are meant to affect Iran’s overall economy rather than punish or stop illicit proliferation activities, which is the focus of direct sanctions. Indirect sanctions work by offering firms a choice […]

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Iran Says It Has Agreed to ‘Road Map’ With U.N. Agency on Nuclear Inspections

PARIS — The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Monday that Iran had agreed to resolve all outstanding issues with the agency and would allow international inspectors “managed access” to two important nuclear facilities that have not been regularly viewed. But the promise of wider scrutiny did not extend to one of the most contentious locations: the Parchin military site southwest of Tehran. Inspectors from the agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, have been trying for months to see selected areas of that site, where they suspect that Iran at one time tested triggering devices for nuclear weapons. “This is an important step forward to start with, but much more needs to be done,” Yukiya Amano, the director general of the agency, told reporters in Tehran. The agreement came on the heels of talks between Iran and six world powers over Iran’s nuclear program. Those talks ended without an […]

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Iran Agrees to Give UN Monitors Broader Inspection Powers

By Jonathan Tirone – 2013-11-11T13:58:53Z Iran and United Nations atomic inspectors signed their first accord in six years, giving the monitors broader access to nuclear facilities in the Persian Gulf country. The International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran agreed “to implement practical measures” aiding inspections, agency director Yukiya Amano said at a Tehran briefing broadcast by Iran’s Press TV. Included in the accord is access to Iran’s largest uranium mine, said Ali Akbar Salehi , who heads the Islamic republic’s atomic program. The pact followed three days of talks in Geneva between Iran and world powers that failed to clinch a broader accord to relieve international sanctions on Iran in exchange for Iranian restrictions on its nuclear program. The IAEA’s decade-long investigation into alleged past nuclear-weapons work has underpinned international concerns about a program that has cast the specter of war and proliferation across the Middle East . Iran […]

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China's pace at oil fields frustrates Iran

TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (UPI) — Chinese energy companies aren’t moving fast enough to develop the Yadavaran and Azadegan oil fields in southern Iran, an Iranian executive said. Abdolreza Hossainnejad, managing director of Iran’s Petroleum Engineering and Development Co., said Sunday the China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., known also as Sinopec, wasn’t working fast enough to meet the development criteria for Yadavaran. “We had planned to raise output from Yadavaran oil field to 85,000 barrels per day over a 59-month period but Chinese companies were willing to achieve the figure in a 74-month period,” he told the Iranian Oil Ministry’s official website Shana. China National Petroleum Corp is contracted to help develop the Azadegan complex, one of Iran’s largest oil fields. It straddles the border with Iraq. Hossainnejad said CNPC is behind schedule there but provided few details. He said drilling rigs need to be procured for the field and […]

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China’s pace at oil fields frustrates Iran

TEHRAN, Nov. 11 (UPI) — Chinese energy companies aren’t moving fast enough to develop the Yadavaran and Azadegan oil fields in southern Iran, an Iranian executive said. Abdolreza Hossainnejad, managing director of Iran’s Petroleum Engineering and Development Co., said Sunday the China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., known also as Sinopec, wasn’t working fast enough to meet the development criteria for Yadavaran. “We had planned to raise output from Yadavaran oil field to 85,000 barrels per day over a 59-month period but Chinese companies were willing to achieve the figure in a 74-month period,” he told the Iranian Oil Ministry’s official website Shana. China National Petroleum Corp is contracted to help develop the Azadegan complex, one of Iran’s largest oil fields. It straddles the border with Iraq. Hossainnejad said CNPC is behind schedule there but provided few details. He said drilling rigs need to be procured for the field and […]

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Obama faces worry at home, abroad over Iran talks

AP Photo WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s hopes for a nuclear deal with Iran now depend in part on his ability to keep a lid on both hard-liners on Capitol Hill and anxious allies abroad, including Israel, the Persian Gulf states and even France. Each of the wary parties is guided in some measure by domestic political interests. But they also share concerns that Obama may want a breakthrough with Iran so badly that he would be willing to accept a deal that prematurely eases economic pressure on Iran and gives the Islamic republic space to pursue a nuclear weapon. “All of us want to see diplomacy,” Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., told NBC News. “But we’re also concerned about an administration that seems really ready to jump into the arms of folks and potentially deal away some of the leverage we have.” Indeed, there’s little question Obama desires […]

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Kerry says U.S. not in race to complete Iran talks

ABU DHABI (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday Washington was not engaged in a race to complete talks with Iran on its nuclear program and vowed to defend Washington’s regional allies against any threats. Speaking at a news conference with United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan in Abu Dhabi, Kerry also praised the Syrian opposition’s decision to participate in a proposed peace conference as "a big step forward". "This is not a race to complete just any agreement," Kerry said, adding: "Through diplomacy we have an absolute responsibility to pursue an agreement." Marathon talks between six major world powers – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, Germany and France – and Iran on Saturday ended without agreement and the sides arranged to meet again on November 20. While saying that an agreement with Iran was expected within months, Kerry […]

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Iran backed out of nuclear deal – Kerry

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi leaves the Geneva talks (9 November 2013) 11 November 2013 Last updated at 10:12 A senior US official reportedly said the deal was “too tough” for the Iranians US Secretary of State John Kerry has said Iran backed out of a deal on its nuclear programme during talks with world powers in Geneva on Saturday. Amid reports that France’s reservations scuppered an agreement, Mr Kerry told reporters in Abu Dhabi: “The French signed off on it, we signed off on it.” Iran had been unable to accept the deal “at that particular moment”, he added. Mr Kerry said he hoped in the next few months they could “find an agreement that meets everyone’s standards”. Representatives from Iran and the so-called P5+1 – the US, UK, France, Russia and China plus Germany – will meet again on 20 November. Powers ‘unified’ Some reports said […]

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Iran Faces Monitoring Test After Failing to Sway Powers

Iran faces a new test with United Nations monitors after failing to convince world powers the time was right to reduce tension over its nuclear work. International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano led a delegation of inspectors flying to Tehran for negotiations today aimed at widening access to people and places connected with Iran’s nuclear work. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said his country is ready to improve cooperation. “Negotiations with the IAEA will continue in Tehran and will be finalized with Amano,” Zarif told ISNA news agency after the Geneva talks. “Our relationship with the agency should be on a serious basis of finalizing all issues. We are prepared to do everything for the agency so that they can do their technical work.” Zarif spoke after three days of discussions in the Swiss city with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov […]

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Iranian deputy minister shot dead

An unidentified attacker shot dead an Iranian deputy minister of industry in Tehran on Sunday, the state news agency IRNA reported, in what appeared the first reported killing of a senior central government official in years. Safdar Rahmat Abadi was shot in the head and chest as he got into his car in the east of the capital, IRNA said, quoting witnesses as saying the attack occurred at about 7:50 p.m local time.  “Investigations show that two shots were fired from inside the vehicle,” the agency quoted a police official as saying. “That two shells were found inside the car shows a strong likelihood that the assailant was inside the car and in conversation with Mr Abadi. There was no sign of struggle at the scene of the killing.” The student news agency ISNA said a special homicide investigator and criminal prosecutor were at the scene. It cited a […]

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Iran and world powers near to signing historic nuclear deal

USA’s Secretary of State John Kerry aarives in Geneva ©Getty John Kerry arrives in Geneva Iran and six world powers are scrambling to sign a historic interim deal to rein in the Iranian nuclear programme, even as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to scupper the agreement. In what would be the first substantive pact on the issue in many years, foreign ministers from the US, Britain, France and Germany converged on Geneva in a last-minute move to sign a preliminary deal with Iran. Diplomats said the talks had made considerable progress and indicated that an agreement could be reached later on Friday or Saturday, although they stressed that there were still some obstacles. However, even before a deal was announced in Geneva, Mr Netanyahu said Israel “utterly rejects” the agreement being discussed and launched a withering attack of the diplomatic efforts. “Israel is not obliged by this agreement […]

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Iran Talks Strain Mideast Alliances

Israel tried to stave off an emerging agreement between Iran and global powers aimed at preventing Tehran from attaining a nuclear weapon, underlining the chasm that has opened up between the Obama administration and its closest Middle East allies over how to deal with their nemesis. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu railed against the expected accord in particularly harsh terms Friday, calling on Western allies to “reconsider” after three meetings in two days with Secretary of State John Kerry . President Barack Obama called the Israeli leader in an attempt to calm the furor. “The deal that is being discussed in Geneva right now is a bad deal,” Mr. Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv after meeting with Mr. Kerry. “Iran isn’t even required to take apart even one centrifuge, but the international community is relieving sanctions on Iran.…I urged Secretary Kerry not to rush to sign—to wait, to reconsider. […]

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Netanyahu Attack on Iran Deal Threatens Rift With U.S.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s rejection of a potential agreement on Iran’s nuclear program , which he denounced as a “very bad deal,” threatens to ignite the most serious U.S.- Israel dispute in years. His public criticism follows a series of meetings on the topic with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry , who flew to Geneva today to join talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. They’re seeking to nail down the first step in an accord that would relieve some sanctions against Iran if it curtails certain nuclear activities. The clash over Iran negotiations follows an effort by President Barack Obama to reassure Netanyahu of his support for Israel, including a trip there in March, after a series of disputes. Kerry’s talks with Netanyahu have sought to avoid a blanket rejection of initial moves toward a nuclear pact, which could fuel opponents in the U.S. […]

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Israel rejects mooted nuclear deal with Iran

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel utterly rejects a mooted world powers deal with Iran aimed at ending a long-running row over its nuclear ambitions and will not be bound by such an accord, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday. Speaking as headed into a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Netanyahu told reporters that Iran had got "the deal of the century". "Israel utterly rejects it and what I am saying is shared by many in the region, whether or not they express that publicly. Israel is not obliged by this agreement and Israel will do everything it needs to do to defend itself and the security of its people," he said. Israel has repeatedly warned that it might strike Iran if it did not halt its nuclear program, accusing Tehran of seeking to build atomic weapons. Iran says its various nuclear facilities are geared to civilian […]

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Iran Nuclear Deal Closer as Kerry Set to Arrive in Geneva

Iran and world powers edged closer to breaking the decade-long stalemate over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program, saying an initial accord is possible when they convene for a second day of negotiations in Geneva. Secretary of State John Kerry plans to make a visit to the Swiss city today in an effort to help narrow differences in the talks, according to a U.S. official who asked not to be identified because the plans weren’t public. A framework has been agreed on and negotiators will try to fill in details at today’s session, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview. “Our job now is to test how serious they are about resolving this conflict, or this dispute, through peaceful means, through diplomacy,” President Barack Obama said yesterday in an interview with NBC News. “We don’t have to trust them. What we have to do is to make […]

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