Iran Blocks U.N. Nuclear Inspectors: What We're Reading Now
Feb 03, 2012
IRAN
Iran Blocks U.N. Nuclear Inspectors
Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal - February 3, 2012
Iran denied United Nations inspectors access to a suspected nuclear site, scientists and documents during a visit to Tehran this week, dimming already scant hopes for a breakthrough to end a standoff over Iran's nuclear work, said diplomats briefed on the International Atomic Energy Agency's mission.
Panetta believes Israel could strike Iran this spring
Barbara Starr, CNN (Blog) - February 2, 2012
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has come to the conclusion there is a growing likelihood Israel could attack Iran sometime this spring in an effort to destroy its suspected nuclear weapons program, according to a senior administration official.
Senate Panel Approves Potentially Toughest Penalty Yet Against Iran’s Wallet
Rick Gladstone, New York Times - February 2, 2012
The Senate Banking Committee unanimously approved a new regimen of anti-Iran sanctions on Thursday that would for the first time threaten to punish the global financial telecommunications network that nearly all banks rely on to conduct their daily business.
West making case to Israel: Don't attack Iran
Anne Gearan, Associated Press - February 2, 2012
Israel's major allies in the West are working hard to talk it out of a unilateral military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, arguing forcefully that an attack ultimately would strengthen, not weaken, the regime in Tehran.
Israeli Army Chief Says Nation Needs to Build Up Military to Strike Iran: What We're Reading Now
Feb 02, 2012
IRAN
Israeli Army Chief Says Nation Needs to Build Up Military to Strike Iran
Jonathan Ferziger and David Lerman, Bloomberg - February 1, 2012
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz said his country must build up its military capabilities and be prepared to strike if economic sanctions fail to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
US Navy comes to rescue of Iranian fishing dhow
Associated Foreign Press - February 1, 2012
The US Navy has announced that it assisted an Iranian fishing vessel in distress in the Gulf, the fourth such incident this year in an area marked by tension between Washington and Tehran.
U.N. Nuclear Monitor Agency Announces Second Visit to Iran
Rick Gladstone, New York Times - February 1, 2012
The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday that its inspectors, who had just completed a three-day visit to Iran, would return there in three weeks.
A Third Option for Iran
Richard Haass and Bernard Gwertzman, Council on Foreign Relations - February 1, 2012
Living with a nuclear-armed Iran or launching a preventive military attack both carry great costs and risks, making it essential to pursue a combination of enhanced sanctions and renewed diplomacy, says CFR President Richard N. Haass.
UN Official Says New Trip to Iran Planned, Indicating Progress: What We're Reading Now
Feb 01, 2012
IRAN
UN Official Says New Trip to Iran Planned, Indicating Progress on Nuclear Issues
Associated Press - February 1, 2012
A U.N. nuclear team on Wednesday announced plans to revisit Tehran “in the very near future,” indicating some progress on its quest to wrest information from Iran about allegations that it secretly worked on an atomic arms program.
Iran Praises Nuclear Talks with Team from UN
Rick Gladstone, New York Times - January 31, 2012
Iran said Tuesday that a team of United Nations nuclear inspectors visiting since the weekend had concluded “constructive and positive” talks with Iranian officials, with further discussions planned at an unspecified date.
Intelligence Report Lists Iran and Cyberattacks as Leading Concerns
Eric Schmitt, New York Times - January 31, 2012
Some senior Iranian leaders are now more willing to carry out attacks inside the United States in response to perceived American threats against their country, the Obama administration’s top intelligence official said on Tuesday, pointing to last fall’s suspected assassination plot against the Saudi ambassador to Washington.
Group Urges Credible U.S. Military Threat to Iran
Arshad Mohammad, Reuters - February 1, 2012
The United States should deploy ships, step up covert activities and sharpen its rhetoric to make more credible the threat of a U.S. military strike to stop Iran's nuclear program, a bipartisan group said on Wednesday.
In Israel, A Nonstop Debate On Possible Iran Strike
Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR - January 31, 2012
In Israel, there is daily speculation over whether Israel will attack Iran's nuclear facilities in the near future. The debate is not only over whether Israel should strike Iran, but what the costs and benefits might be from such a strike.
Defense Officials Say N.Korea 'Stable': What We're Reading Now
Jan 31, 2012
KOREAN PENINSULA
Defense Officials of S.Korea, U.S., Japan Say N. Korea 'Stable'
Yonhap News Agency - January 31, 2012
Senior defense officials from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan consider the current North Korean regime "stable" under its new leader Kim Jong-un, sources said Tuesday.
Myanmar Denies Trying to Obtain N Korean Nukes
Times of India - January 31, 2012
Myanmar President Thein Sein has denied his country is trying to obtain nuclear weapons from North Korea, describing allegations of an illicit programme as "unfounded", in remarks published Tuesday.
Senior DOD Official Extends Hand to North Korea, Warns Others
U.S. News and World Report - January 30, 2012
A senior Pentagon official invited North Korea's new leader to the negotiating table Monday after sternly warning other would-be foes that shrinking defense budgets do not equal an American military in decline.
Nuclear Inspectors in Iran: What We're Reading Now
Jan 30, 2012
IRAN
Nuclear Inspectors in Iran
Associated Press - January 29, 2012
Iran’s foreign minister expressed optimism Sunday that a visit by U.N. inspectors to Iran’s nuclear facilities would produce an understanding, despite world concerns that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons.
Pentagon Seeks Mightier Bomb Vs Iran
Adam Entous and Julian E. Barnes, Wall Street Journal - January 28, 2012
Pentagon war planners have concluded that their largest conventional bomb isn't yet capable of destroying Iran's most heavily fortified underground facilities, and are stepping up efforts to make it more powerful, according to U.S. officials briefed on the plan.
Iran Hits Back at EU With Own Oil Embargo Threat
Robin Pomeroy and Hashem Kalantari, Reuters - January 27, 2012
Fighting sanctions with sanctions in a trial of strength with the West over its nuclear ambitions, Iran warned on Friday it may halt oil exports to Europe next week in a move calculated to hurt ailing European economies.
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim, Los Angeles Times - January 29, 2012
Broader restrictions on oil exports and banking may damage the economy enough to force Iran to change course. Or maybe the move will just stir anger.
The facts don’t get in the way of another GOP debate
Jan 27, 2012
On Monday night, the Republican candidates for President met in Tampa, Florida to spar over peddling influence, debate tax returns, and generally confuse the American public about the supposed decline of the United States Navy and the bankruptcy of the Obama administration’s policy toward Iran.
During the debate, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney said:
"Our Navy is now smaller than any time since 1917."
Though it is true that the United States Navy has seen fluctuations in the total number of ships over the past 95 years, the United States Navy is still by far the most advanced and most powerful navy in the world. It also turns out the Navy was smaller than today at the end of Fiscal Years 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. In 2009, when the Navy had 285 active surface ships (the same as today), then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote in Foreign Affairs (Jan/Feb 2009, Vol. 88 Issue 1, p28-40) that:
“As much as the U.S. Navy has shrunk since the end of the Cold War, for example, in terms of tonnage, its battle fleet is still larger than the next 13 navies combined — and 11 of those 13 navies are U.S. allies or partners.”
Iran is ready to return to nuclear talks: What We're Reading Now
Jan 27, 2012
IRAN
Iran is ready to return to nuclear talks
Ali Akbar Dareini, Associated Press - January 27, 2012
Iran is ready to revive talks with the U.S. and other world powers, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Thursday, but suggested that Tehran's foes will have to make compromises to prevent negotiations from again collapsing in stalemate.
Israel Senses Bluffing in Iran’s Threats of Retaliation
Ethan Bronner, New York Times - January 26, 2012
Israeli intelligence estimates, backed by academic studies, have cast doubt on the widespread assumption that a military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities would set off a catastrophic set of events like a regional conflagration, widespread acts of terrorism and sky-high oil prices.
How Iran could beat up on America's superior military
Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor - January 26, 2012
America's defense budget is roughly 90 times bigger than Iran's. But Iran has a well-honed strategy of asymmetric warfare.
KOREAN PENINSULA
US team due in NKorea in March to resume hunt for troops missing in action from Korean War
Associated Press - January 26, 2012
U.S. military personnel will travel to North Korea in March to restart efforts to recover thousands of servicemen missing from the 1950-53 Korean War, the Defense Department said Thursday.
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.
U.S. Shifts Policy On Nuclear Pacts: What We're Reading Now
Jan 25, 2012
IRAN
Sanctions Against Iran Grow Tighter, but What’s the Next Step?
Helene Cooper, New York Times - January 24, 2012
As the Obama administration and its European allies toughened economic sanctions against Iran on Monday — blocking its access to the world financial system and undermining its critical oil and gas industry — officials on both sides of the Atlantic acknowledge that their last-ditch effort has only a limited chance of persuading Tehran to abandon what the West fears is its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Iran says sanctions to fail, repeats Hormuz threat
Mitra Amiri, Reuters - January 25, 2012
Iranian politicians said on Tuesday they expected the European Union to backtrack on its oil embargo and repeated a threat to close the vital Strait of Hormuz shipping lane if the West succeeds in preventing Tehran from exporting crude.
KOREAN PENINSULA
U.S. still taking cautious approach to North Korea aid
John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times - January 24, 2012
In mid-December, U.S. negotiators came the closest they'd come in two years to resuming humanitarian food aid for millions of undernourished North Koreans.
UNITED STATES
U.S. Shifts Policy on Nuclear Pacts
Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal - January 25, 2012
The Obama administration, in advanced negotiations on nuclear-cooperation agreements with Jordan and Vietnam, has withdrawn a demand that these countries forgo their rights to produce nuclear fuel, senior U.S. officials said.
Amid New Sanctions, Obama Confronts the Challenges of Diplomacy with Iran: What We're Reading Now
Jan 24, 2012
IRAN
Bid to restart Iran nuclear talks pits Western demands against Tehran’s defiance
Ali Akbar Dareini, AP - January 24, 2012
The last time Iran’s nuclear envoys held talks with the U.S. and other world powers, the negotiations limped along until a parting shot by the Islamic Republic: Its labs boosted the enrichment levels of uranium in reply to demands for a full-scale freeze.
Amid New Sanctions, Obama Confronts the Challenges of Diplomacy with Iran
Tony Karon, TIME Magazine (Blog) - January 23, 2012
Despite the deafening racket of the mass-media drums of war, neither President Obama nor the Pentagon has an appetite for a confrontation with Iran that could unleash havoc across the Middle East and would at best simply delay Tehran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons.
Foreign Policy: Stop The Madness
Yousaf Butt, NPR - January 23, 2012
Olli Heinonen is alarmed that Iran has begun producing 20 percent enriched uranium at a new, deeply buried site, and calculates that Iranian scientists could further purify the material to the 90 percent enrichment needed for a bomb in about six months' time.
Bank Tejarat Banned by U.S., EU in Move Stifling Iran Trade
Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Bloomberg Businessweek - January 24, 2012
The U.S. and European Union took steps to cut off from the international financial system Bank Tejarat, the last institution financing high-volume exports and imports between Iran and Europe.
