Réalité-EU Analysis

Round up of Today’s International News
Compiled by Gerlinde Gerber: gerlinde.gerber@realite-eu.org
04/03/10

EUROPE

Italian police smash 'Iran weapons smuggling gang'
Seven people were arrested yesterday on suspicion of supplying explosives and hi-tech military equipment to Tehran, including alleged Iranian secret service agents. Investigators said the two Iranians and five Italians were involved in a plot to export tracer bullets, precision sights and explosives to Iran via third countries, including Britain, Romania and Dubai. […] British police are believed to have arrested a man implicated in the trafficking in the last few months.

EU says Iran "provocation" flouts UN nuclear rules
Iran violated transparency rules by failing to alert U.N. inspectors in time to escalated nuclear activity and faces harsher sanctions because of provocative and defiant behaviour, the European Union said on Wednesday. The EU spoke in a debate by governors of the U.N. nuclear watchdog after its director voiced concern Iran may be trying to develop a nuclear-armed missile and said it began higher-grade uranium enrichment before his inspectors could beef up monitoring.

EU loopholes could undermine new Iran sanctions, US warns
Any new sanctions imposed on Iran will be effective only if existing loopholes which allow middlemen to buy high-tech American goods in Europe and send them to Tehran are closed, US officials have told this website. […] But US officials warn that unless current loopholes are fixed, Europe and US-based middlemen working for Iran will continue to circumvent the sanctions regime.

German FM says Iran shouldn't be allowed to become a member of UN Human Rights Council
Germany's foreign minister says countries should vote against Iran when it seeks a seat later this year on the United Nations' Human Rights Council. Guido Westerwelle says having Iran in the 47-nation body would be an "affront" to human rights. Westerwelle told the council Wednesday that Iran was undeserving because it has violated many of its citizens' human rights, including during a postelection crackdown on protesters last year.

Norway expels Iranian diplomat in Tehran response
Norway's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday it had asked Iran to remove one diplomat from Norway after Iranian authorities demanded one Norwegian diplomat leave Tehran. Norway said Iran had protested against Norway granting political asylum to a former senior Iranian diplomat who quit last month in protest at a crackdown on anti-government demonstrators in Iran.

IRAN

No alternative to ‘deeper’ sanctions against Iran: US, EU
The United States and the European Union said yesterday that further sanctions may be the only response to Iran's latest provocations in the long-running standoff over its controversial nuclear programme. Iran broke its obligations towards the International Atomic Energy Agency by boosting its contested uranium enrichment to higher levels before IAEA inspectors were able to monitor the process properly, the EU and the US argued at the UN watchdog here.

Iran may face new round of UN sanctions
The United States, France and other Western powers are preparing a plan for a fourth round of U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program and hope to persuade Russia and China to back it. […] Following are possible scenarios for the outcome of the negotiations on a fourth sanctions resolution, which diplomats hope will be adopted next month.

Iran will not retreat from its nuclear path: Rohani
Hassan Rohani, director of the strategic research center at the Expediency Council, said on Tuesday Iran will not move back from the path it has taken with regard to its peaceful nuclear program. “Islamic Republic of Iran aims to safeguard its nuclear achievements and the system will not retreat,” Rohani told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on petroleum and foreign policy.

Iran threatens to drop nuclear offer if new UN sanctions approved
Iran threatened on Thursday to give up its counter-proposal to the UN nuclear watchdog on a uranium swap, if new sanctions were adopted against the Islamic Republic. "Iran's proposal for a simultaneous exchange on the territory of the Islamic Republic of our low enriched uranium for fuel enriched to 20% is still on the table but it will not stay there forever," Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Tehran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was quoted by the Mehr news agency as saying.

Nuclear weapons worries: Is threat of Iran sanctions making Tehran testy with Europe?
The West’s drive for tougher sanctions on Iran – and in particular for measures targeting Iran’s Revolutionary Guards – appears to be hitting a nerve in Tehran. On Sunday, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, an elite military division with substantial involvement in Iran’s nuclear program, told Iranian war veterans that Iran is capable of making Europe suffer by cutting the flow of energy supplies out of Iran.

UN council members say Iran violated arms embargo, IAEA regulations
United Nations Security Council members said Thursday that Tehran violated an arms embargo and regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) by concealing its uranium enrichment activities. A panel monitoring UN sanctions against Iran said two instances of violations were committed in the past three months, during which the arms embargo was breached. Japanese Ambassador Yukio Takasu, who heads the panel, said two governments reported having intercepted arms shipments that originated from Iran.

The feeling on Iran? Watch NAM
The NAM emphasises Tehran’s right under the Non-Proliferation Treaty to develop a civilian atomic programme, although some members have privately voiced concern about Iran and believe it must open up to the IAEA to defuse mistrust. That idea came through in a statement made by NAM chair Egypt to the agency’s 35-nation governing board this week. “NAM encourages Iran to intensify its cooperation with the agency to provide credible assurances regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran within the Agency’s mandate.”

Turkey, Iran sign industry and trade deal
Turkey and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding on industry and trade Tuesday on the sidelines of a D-8 meeting in Tehran. Turkish Industry and Trade Minister Nihat Ergün and Iranian Minister of Industries and Mining Ali Akbar Mehrabian put their signatures to the document that aims to boost industrial and commercial relations between the two countries.

Azerbaijani analyst: Iran must be sincere in relations with Azerbaijan
[…] "Iran's nuclear technology is primarily a threat to Iran itself. Producing the nuclear fuel, Iran does not have the capacity to build a nuclear power. Iran is busy with "major cases", but it can not produce spare parts for aircraft. Iran is one of the few states that do not have normal relations with neighboring countries," Political Innovation and Technology Center Director Mubariz Ahmadoglu added.

Pressure firms helping Iran govt: Ebadi
Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has warned against imposing international sanctions on her country, but pleaded with Western companies not to assist the government. […] The 2003 Nobel laureate and former judge said pressure instead should be directed at international corporations selling high-tech or military technology that could strengthen President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Reformist newspapers banned in Iran
The authorities in Iran have closed down the country's biggest-circulation reformist newspaper, Etemaad, accusing it of breaching media laws. They also suspended publication of a weekly reformist paper whose managing director is the son of one of Iran's opposition leaders, Mehdi Karroubi. Hossein Karroubi told the BBC that the paper, Iran Dokht, was targeted due to his father's political activities. Last week Mehdi Karroubi was beaten up by Iranian security forces at a rally.

Iran court upholds death for opposition activist
An Iranian opposition-run Web site says an appeals court has upheld the death sentence for a student who took part in an anti-government rally in December that left eight people dead. The kaleme site reported late Tuesday that 20-year-old Mohammad Amin Valian had testified he threw stones at security forces and plainclothes pro-government militiamen as they "savagely" beat demonstrators during the rally in Tehran. Valian was found guilty of Moharebeh - a religious offense that translates as defiance of God, a crime punishable by death under Iranian law.

THE MIDDLE EAST

Hamas: 'Arab state behind Dubai assassination'
[…] I was interested to see that Al-Quds Al-Araby yesterday reported an angle some of us pointed out at the time should not be discounted. They say that Hamas itself believe that “the security forces of an Arab state were behind the assassination”. Mahmoud Nasser, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, told the newspaper that slain commander Mahmoud al-Mabhouh was likely being tracked by agents from Jordan and Egypt prior to the January 19 killing.

Mabhouh's right-hand man suggests Arab security forces were behind hit, confirms boss smuggled arms
The right-hand man of assassinated Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh claimed that the security forces of an Arab country were behind the hit in Dubai. Speaking on Hamas' Al-Aqsa radio in Gaza, the aide, Damascus-based Mohammed Nassar, said Dubai police were holding three Palestinians suspected of involvement in the killing.

Dubai Police Chief insists al-Mabhouh was betrayed from within Hamas
Dubai Police Chief on Thursday said a Hamas member leaked travel information about Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh into Israel’s Mossad spy agency. Al-Mabhouh was murdered on Jan.19 in Dubai. In an interview with Al Arabiya TV, to be aired Friday, Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan said "Had we known who he was, we would not have allowed him in to Dubai. We do allow officials from Hamas’ political office, but not members involved in secretive work."

Hamas Killing Exposes Dubai's Dark Side
The killing of Hamas military commander Mahmoud Al Mabhouh in Dubai on Jan. 20 is a reminder that the sheikdom, which prides itself on being a regional business hub, also serves as a center for more nefarious activities. Mr. Mabhouh's death is being blamed on Israel but his assassination in Dubai highlights the ongoing problems the sheikdom faces with money laundering and the influence of Iran within its borders.

Iran's Khamenei attacks Israel, seeks Muslim unity
Opposition to Israel, which sees Iran's nuclear programme as a threat to its existence, has been a cornerstone of the Islamic republic since 1979 and Iran backs Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups opposed to peace with the Jewish state. "The occupation of the holy land of Palestine and the endless brutality of the Zionist regime towards innocent Palestinian people is a big wound in the body of the Islamic world," Khamenei said, calling Israel a "dangerous and fatal cancer".

Male hairdressers banned from women's salons in Gaza
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas has said it is to ban male hairdressers from working in salons where women get their hair styled. The announcement is part of a campaign by Hamas to introduce more Islamic customs to the Gaza Strip. The Interior Ministry have said there will be legal consequences for anyone who disobeys the new rule, but they have not specified what they might be. In Islamic tradition women cannot show their hair to men not in their family.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

New Iran sanctions: Banks, insurance
The United States is circulating a draft of new, tougher sanctions against Iran that concentrate on the banking, shipping and insurance sectors of its economy and is now waiting for China and Russia to signal that they are willing to start negotiating over the measures, U.N. Security Council diplomats said Wednesday.

Smith International to pull out of Iran, Sudan
Smith International Inc, an oilfield service company set to be taken over by industry leader Schlumberger Ltd, said on Monday it was actively pursuing the termination of all its activities in Iran and Sudan. In a filing with U.S. financial regulators, Houston-based Smith named those two countries and Syria as places where the U.S. government imposed economic sanctions or other restrictions. Smith said that, via non-U.S. affiliates, it earned about 1 percent of its $8.2 billion in 2009 revenue from the countries, and they were not "strategically significant" to its worldwide operations.

Ingersoll Rands pressed on Iranian ties
Industrial company Ingersoll Rand is under fire by a New York lobbying group for its business relationship with sanction-strapped Iran. […] Ingersoll Rand is a manufacturer of air compressors used in the oil and gas industry and the nuclear sector and UAI is questioning what role such devices from Ingersoll Rand may have in the Iranian nuclear program.

Is Obama's Vision of Nukes-Free World Naive?
Barack Obama's pledge of a nuclear weapons-free world helped him secure the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The US president is expected to outline his nuclear strategy soon, entailing the elimination of thousands of American warheads and possibly the removal of weapons from Europe. German editorialists offer cautious optimism over the development.

RUSSIA

RF, China receive Sextet’s proposals on harsher sanctions against Iran
Western members of the Sextet have provided the delegations of Russia and China with their proposals regarding harsher sanctions against Iran. A diplomatic source at the U.N. Headquarters said on Wednesday that the proposals included additional measures against members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, as well as harsher sanctions in the fields of sea transportation, banking and insurance.

Russia willing to back "smart" sanctions on Iran
Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, is in Paris to begin a three-day visit to consolidate French-Russian relations in economic, political, and cultural spheres. Medvedev said his country is willing to back "smart" sanctions against Iran that did not harm the civilian population. […] Speaking at a joint news conference, Medvedev said he hoped that negotiations with Iran would lead to an agreement without sanctions.

CHINA

China urges peaceful resolution over Iran nuke issue
A Chinese official said Thursday that resolving the Iran nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiations was "consistent with" interests of all parties involved. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the remarks at a regular news briefing in response to a journalist's question about Western governments sending a new sanction proposal on Iran to China and Russia.

Isolated China will need payback for Iran sanctions
[…] "China is preparing the ground to effectively water down the expectations and the impact of any sanctions that might eventually be agreed," said Sarah Raine, a China expert at Britain's International Institute for Strategic Studies. "The question is making sure from China's perspective that those sanctions have minimal impact on its interests there."

WORLD

New Hurdle to Iran Sanctions
The Obama administration, still struggling to win China's pivotal backing for a new round of United Nations sanctions against Iran, is increasingly worried about gaining the support of some other members of the U.N. Security Council, particularly Brazil, Turkey and Lebanon, according to U.S. and European officials. […] Though Brazil, Turkey and Lebanon hold temporary seats and can't veto sanctions—unlike permanent council members including China—they could make it harder for the U.S. to get agreement by sustaining the opposition campaign.

Canada to urge more Iran sanctions
A Foreign Ministry spokeswoman has said that Canada will use its G8 presidency to press for more sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. […] 'Canada will use its G8 presidency to continue to focus international attention and action on the Iranian regime. Canada believes that further sanctions authorized by the United Nations Security Council are needed,' Reuters quoted the unnamed spokeswoman as saying.

India, PM Riyadh trip seen in light of Iran nuclear rise
In joining King Abdullah to ask that Tehran come clean on its nuclear weapons programme, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may have positioned India to play a new role in stabilising the balance of power between Saudi Arabia and Iran. In the Riyadh Declaration issued on Sunday, King Abdullah and Dr Singh “encouraged Iran...to remove regional and international doubts about its nuclear weapons programme”.

REPORTS, STATISTICS, ANALYSIS

Statement of Spain on behalf of the European Union - IAEA Board of Governors
[…] The February 7th announcement that Iran will enrich uranium up to 20%, and Iran’s subsequent formal notification to the IAEA, are contrary to UN Security Council and Board of Governors resolutions. These new developments raise further serious concerns about Iran’s nuclear intentions. In light of the fact that Iran does not appear to have the necessary technology and cannot produce the needed nuclear fuel assemblies to ensure the uninterrupted production of medical isotopes by the Tehran Research Reactor, and could procure the necessary isotopes on the international market, it follows that the reasons given for these enrichment activities are questionable.

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