Stop the Press on ‘Preemptive’: Media Adopt Pro-War Rhetoric on Iran: What We're Reading Now
Mar 20, 2012
Iran
Barak: Israel must take U.S. vote into account when mulling Iran strike
Jonathan Lis, Haaretz - March 19, 2012
Defense Minister Ehud Barak called on Israel yesterday to take into account the U.S. election campaign, hinting that it would be unwise to launch an attack on Iran without American support.
U.S. War Game Sees Perils of Israeli Strike Against Iran
Mark Mazzetti and Thom Shanker, New York Times - March 19, 2012
A classified war simulation held this month to assess the repercussions of an Israeli attack on Iran forecasts that the strike would lead to a wider regional war, which could draw in the United States and leave hundreds of Americans dead, according to American officials.
Stop the Press on ‘Preemptive’: Media Adopt Pro-War Rhetoric on Iran
Peter Beinart, Daily Beast - March 19, 2012
Unchastened by Iraq misinformation, the media are passing on pro-war statements as fact again. This time, it’s Iran. The Iraq War debate was not among American journalism’s finest hours. Despite, or perhaps because of, the media’s incessant coverage of the run-up to war, the public ended up wildly misinformed. An August 2003 Washington Post poll found that 69 percent of Americans thought it either “very likely” or “somewhat likely” that Saddam Hussein had been involved in the 9/11 attacks. Eighty percent of Fox News viewers believed either that Iraq and al Qaeda were closely linked, that the U.S. had found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, or that world public opinion favored the war.
How bad would Iran be with the bomb?
Walter Pincus, Washington Post - March 19, 2012
Which would be worse if sanctions and diplomacy fail: the aftermath of an Israeli or U.S. attack on Iran to set back its nuclear program, or the Tehran regime having the bomb? Of course, one hopes the sanctions/diplomacy route succeeds. But what if it doesn’t?
Iran's UN fact sheet - Weapons track not confirmed: What We're Reading Now
Mar 12, 2012
Iran
Skeptics doubt U.S. can be certain about Iran's nuclear progress
Ken Dilanian, Los Angeles Times - March 11, 2012
Despite President Obama's assurances that the United States will know if Tehran begins to secretly build a nuclear bomb, some senior officials familiar with U.S. intelligence and spying capabilities in Iran are doubtful.
Israel Unveils New Bunker Buster, Hones ‘Credible’ Military Option for Iran
Barbara Opall-Rome, Defense News - March 11, 2012
Israel last week unveiled an improved precision, bunker-burrowing weapon, the latest in a series of operational upgrades aimed at honing what one official here labeled “a very credible military option” against the Iranian nuclear threat.
U.N. Won’t Back Down on Iran Nuclear Inspections
Michael Adler, The Daily Beast - March 11, 2012
The U.N. nuclear agency will not back off its demand to visit the Parchin military site even if this escalates the confrontation with Iran over its alleged nuclear-weapons work, the agency’s head Yukiya Amano told Newsweek/The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview.
Iran's UN fact sheet: Weapons track not confirmed
George Jahn, Associated Press - March 11, 2012
Nine years ago, the United States invaded Iraq after telling the world that Saddam Hussein had covert weapons programs that could build nuclear arms. In the end, nothing was found. Today, acting on similar fears, Israel is threatening to attack Iran.
Dempsey says premature to attack Iran now: What We're Reading Now
Feb 21, 2012
IRAN
Dempsey says premature to attack Iran now
Susan Cornwell and Jackie Frank, Reuters - February 19, 2012
The top U.S. military officer said on Sunday that a military strike against Iran would be premature, because it is unclear that Tehran will actually use its nuclear capabilities to build an atomic bomb.
U.N. Agency Returns to Inspect Iran Nuclear Program
Alan Cowell, New York Times - February 20, 2012
A team of United Nations inspectors arrived in Iran on Monday for its second visit in three weeks, saying its highest priority remained “the possible military dimensions” of Iran’s nuclear program, which Tehran insists that the program does not have and which the inspectors’ previous visit did nothing to resolve.
Israelis fear homefront vulnerable to Iranian attacks
Associated Press - February 20, 2012
Despite its confident saber-rattling, Israel's concern is growing that the country is vulnerable to a devastating counterstrike if it attacks Iran's nuclear program.
Iran Warns U.S. as Syria Intensifies Crackdown
Liam Stack, New York Times - February 20, 2012
Two Iranian warships docked in a Syrian port on Monday as a senior Iranian lawmaker denounced American calls for arming the Syrian opposition, adding to the international tensions over the nearly yearlong crackdown by the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Ahmadinejad Says Iran Is Ready for Nuclear Talks: What We're Reading Now
Jan 26, 2012
IRAN
Ahmadinejad Says Iran Is Ready for Nuclear TalksJ. David Goodman, New York Times - January 26, 2012 Even as he became the latest and most senior member of the Iranian government to publicly declare his readiness for nuclear talks, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday lashed out at the West over its tough new economic sanctions that he said have hurt the Iranian people.
IAEA talks in Tehran to test Iran's nuclear defiance
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters - January 26, 2012
A rare visit by senior U.N. nuclear inspectors next week raises pressure on Iran to address suspicions it is trying to develop atomic weapons, though Western powers that are piling on sanctions expect no significant breakthrough.
Can Sanctions Alone Get Iran To Negotiate
Tom Gjelten, NPR - January 25, 2012
In an effort to bring Iran to the negotiating table over its nuclear program through economic pain, both the U.S. and the European Union have imposed sanctions that should make it harder for Iran to sell its oil. But the global oil business is unpredictable, and sanctions are no guarantee.
Iran won't move toward nuclear weapon in 2012 - ISIS report
Tabassum Zakaria and Mark Hosenball, Reuters - January 26, 2012
Iran is unlikely to move toward building a nuclear weapon this year because it does not yet have the capability to produce enough weapon-grade uranium, a draft report by the Institute for Science and International Security said on Wednesday.
Europe bans Iranian oil imports in push to curtail nuclear program: What We're Reading Now
Jan 23, 2012
IRAN
Europe bans Iranian oil imports in push to curtail nuclear program
Edward Cody, The Washington Post - January 23, 2012
Europe banned the import of Iranian oil Monday and froze Europe-based assets of the Central Bank of Iran, intensifying an international campaign to choke Iran’s economy and force the radical Islamic government to dispel fears that it is working to develop nuclear weapons.
U.S. aircraft carrier sails through strategic Strait of Hormuz
David S. Cloud, Los Angeles Times - January 22, 2012
A U.S. aircraft carrier sailed through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, the first transit since Iran warned American ships this year against using the strategic waterway.
Iran gets the message from Washington
David Ignatius, The Washington Post - January 20, 2012
The Iran nuclear crisis is far from over, but Tehran appears to have made a subtle blink — backing away from its threat a few weeks ago to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to escalating U.S. sanctions.
"What we know suggests the development of nuclear weapons'
Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic - January 20, 2012
Yukiya Amano, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, is not shrinking in the face of Iranian denials. Once again, he has asserted his suspicions that Iran's goal is a nuclear-weapons capability.
Iran and the I.A.E.A.: What We're Reading Now
Nov 18, 2011
IRAN
Iran nuclear sanctions hurt the middle class, not Guards
Oren Dorell, USA Today - November 17, 2011
International sanctions aimed at Iran's nuclear program have hurt the country's middle class and caused factories to shut down while low-quality goods flood the country, say foreign policy analysts.
Nuclear Watchdog Seeks Consensus on Iran
Alan Cowell, NYT - November 18, 2011
The global powers dealing with the bitter international dispute over Iran’s nuclear intentions were reported on Friday to be seeking a consensus for new demands on Tehran to allay deepening apprehensions about its suspected efforts to build a nuclear weapon.
Iranian delegate accuses IAEA chief of security leaks that threaten Iranian lives
AP - November 18, 2011
A senior Iranian envoy is accusing the head of the U.N. nuclear body of security leaks that expose his country’s scientists and their families to the threat of assassination by the U.S. and Israel.
Iran and the I.A.E.A.
Seymour M. Hersh, The New Yorker - November 18, 2011
The first question in last Saturday night’s Republican debate on foreign policy dealt with Iran, and a newly published report by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
South Korea Seeking Trilateral Talks on North: What We're Reading Now
Nov 10, 2011
IRAN
Russian scientist who figures in IAEA report denies helping Iran build a nuclear weapon
Washington Post -- November 10, 2011
A Russian scientist accused of helping Iran develop technology necessary to build a nuclear weapon has denied assisting its nuclear program, a Russian newspaper reported Thursday.
Russian Scientist Denies Iranian Nuclear Role, Kommersant Says
Henry Meyer, Bloomberg -- November 10, 2011
A Russian scientist denied helping Iran to develop a nuclear bomb following a U.S. media report about his suspected role, the Kommersant newspaper reported, citing an interview with the expert.
NORTH KOREA
South Korea Seeking Trilateral Talks on North
Global Security Newswire -- November 9, 2011
South Korea is pushing to meet with Japan and the United States so that the three allies can align their respective postures for responding to the North Korean nuclear impasse, Kyodo News reported on Wednesday.
LIBYA
Desert chief says al-Qaida branch got Libyan arms
Ahmed Mohamed, Associated Press -- November 10, 2011
A desert chief with al-Qaida's North Africa branch has confirmed fears that his terror organization procured weapons from stockpiles left unguarded in Libya after the fall of Moammar Gadhafi.
Pentagon is asked to outline impact of budget cuts: What We're Reading Now
Nov 08, 2011
IRAN
Israeli strike on Iran nuclear program? Global leaders try to quiet speculation, threats.
Ariel Zirulnick, Christian Science Monitor -- November 8, 2011
Ahead of an IAEA report on Iran's nuclear program, China, Russia, Germany, and France have all urged calm.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatens to retaliate if US assassinates commanders
The Washington Post -- November 8, 2011
An Iranian semi-official news agency says that a top commander in the country’s Revolutionary Guard force has threatened to kill “dozens” of American military commanders, should the U.S. kill any one of theirs.
NORTH KOREA
Seoul Awaits Pyongyang’s Response on Nuclear Talks
Voice of America -- November 8, 2011
A South Korean official says two rounds of talks with North Korea have left Pyongyang with a better understanding of what it must do to effect a resumption of six-party nuclear negotiations.
South Korea approves shipment of medicine to North Korea, in signs of easing tensions
The Washington Post -- November 8, 2011
South Korea has lifted its block on donating medicine to North Korea via the World Health Organization, amid signs of easing tensions between the countries.
Q+A: U.N. report on Iran's nuclear program: What We're Reading Now
Nov 07, 2011
IRAN
IAEA says foreign expertise has brought Iran to threshold of nuclear capability
Joby Warrick, The Washington Post -- November 6, 2011
Intelligence provided to U.N. nuclear officials shows that Iran’s government has mastered the critical steps needed to build a nuclear weapon, receiving assistance from foreign scientists to overcome key technical hurdles, according to Western diplomats and nuclear experts briefed on the findings.
Q+A: U.N. report on Iran's nuclear program
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters -- November 7, 2011
The U.N. atomic watchdog is set to issue a report this week with detailed intelligence pointing to research and experiments in Iran to develop the technology and skills needed to make nuclear bombs, Western diplomats say.
Insight: Has Iran ended Israel's Begin Doctrine?
Dan Williams, Reuters -- November 7, 2011
Menachem Begin did not pull his punches. In 1981, as work neared completion on an Iraqi nuclear reactor that Israel believed would produce plutonium for warheads, the Israeli prime minister dispatched eight F-16 bombers to destroy the plant. Begin later said that the raid was proof his country would "under no circumstances allow the enemy to develop weapons of mass-destruction against our people".
Bracing for the Iran Nuclear Report: Will 'Military Action' Rhetoric Develop its Own Momentum?
Tony Karon, Time -- November 7, 2011
If the proverbial "drumbeat" for war with Iran has grown more insistent in recent weeks, it's about to turn into something akin to the opening bars of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man". That's because the International Atomic Energy Agency is expected, in a report on Iran's nuclear program due for release early this week, to suggest that the Islamic Republic's nuclear program may include a "possible military dimension", giving Tehran the means -- possibly with the help of foreign scientists -- to relatively quickly build nuclear weapons should it choose to do so.
"Strong" IAEA report may pile pressure on Iran: What We're Reading Now
Oct 14, 2011
IRAN
"Strong" IAEA report may pile pressure on Iran
Fredrik Dahl, Reuters - October 14, 2011
he U.N. nuclear watchdog is expected to add to growing international pressure on Iran with a report next month likely to heighten suspicions about the Islamic state's atomic ambitions, Western diplomats said on Friday.
The Birth of a Bomb: A History of Iran's Nuclear Ambitions (Der Spiegel)
Der Spigel/Forbes - October 13, 2011
In the wake of the FBI’s disruption of Tehran’s plot to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the United States on American soil, many are calling on President Obama to “take action” – though it’s not quite clear what kind of action they have in mind.
Iran's Press TV claims it is being banned in UK
Raphael G. Satter, AP - October 14, 2011
British officials are preparing to ban Iran's English-language Press TV, the broadcaster claimed Friday. Regulator Ofcom confirmed that it is considering punitive action but said no decision has yet been made.
NORTH & SOUTH KOREA
South Korean President Tells Congress North Must Give up "Nuclear Ambitions"
Global Security Newswire - October 14, 2011
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told a special joint session of the U.S. Congress on Thursday that he remained dedicated to realizing the permanent shuttering of North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the Yonhap News Agency reported
