Posted on 09/28/2005 10:28:54 AM PDT by DoctorZIn
Top News Story
Iran threatens to cut trade with nuclear critics
By Parisa Hafezi
TEHRAN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Iran threatened on Tuesday to use trade to punish countries that have voted to report it to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions, after Tehran failed to convince the world its nuclear programme was peaceful.
Iranian officials said they were shocked by India's backing on Saturday for a resolution passed by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
But they reassured India, which is hoping to sate its voracious appetite for energy through deals with the world's second biggest holder of oil and natural gas, that it would not take any hasty action.
"We will reconsider our economic cooperation with those countries that voted against us," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters at a weekly news conference.
"India's vote came as a great surprise to us," he added.
India's delegation was one of the 22 which voted against Iran at the IAEA, out of a total 35.
But Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Iran was willing to continue its "friendly" relationship with India.
"We should not lose a friend because of one incident," Larijani told reporters. "We will have talks with India over Iran's nuclear ambitions in the future."
Washington accuses Iran of planning to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists it wants only to produce fuel for nuclear power stations.
Angered by the IAEA resolution, Tehran has already threatened to resume uranium enrichment -- a process that can be a step towards making bomb-grade material -- and curtail short-notice U.N. inspections.
ENRICHMENT NOT IMMINENT
However, Alexander Rumyantsev, head of Russia's Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran's Natanz enrichment facility was still more than a year away from being operational.
And Western diplomats in Vienna told Reuters the quality of uranium hexafluoride gas currently being produced by Iran was too poor to feed into enrichment centrifuges.
Analysts had predicted Iran could use oil as a lever against countries seeking to send Iran to the Security Council.
But such a move could backfire. Oil accounts for 80 percent of Iran's export earnings and interrupting that flow of hard cash would be politically risky.
India had no immediate reaction to Asefi's remarks but its foreign secretary, Shyam Saran, said on Monday New Delhi's stance at the IAEA should not cause much trouble.
"I see no reason why there should be apprehension that there would be any kind of impact on our energy security," he said, adding India had supported Iran by helping to delay an immediate Security Council referral.
Diplomats reckon referral is most likely in November.
India in June signed a $22 billion deal to import liquefied natural gas from Iran for 25 years from 2009, when Iran's exports of the supercooled fuel are due to hit world markets.
India also plans to pipe gas overland from Iran in a bold $7 billion project that will cross some of the most rugged and lawless stretches of Pakistan.
France, Germany and Britain, who have drawn most of Iran's anger for drafting the IAEA resolution, also have key investment deals in Iran's energy, automotive and petrochemicals sectors.
Japan, another strong advocate of the IAEA resolution against Iran, is seeking to increase its imports from the Islamic Republic through a $2 billion development of the giant Azadegan oilfield in Iran's southwestern oil heartlands.
- Iran Press News reported that Larijani, the Secretary of the High Council of National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran said: We do not accept the Board of Governor's resolution and added the European trio were: among the most savage nations on earth.
- Iran Press News quoted Arab reports that Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister said that the government of Jordan is strictly against the intrusion and encroachment of any of Iraq's neighboring countries, including the Islamic Republic, in Iraq's internal matters.
- Islamic Republic News Agency reported that UK Cabinet ministers made it clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair that they will not support any US military strike against Iran.
- IranMania reported that Iran's Supreme Leader appointed six commanders to new posts in shake up in the hierarchy of Army of the Islamic Republic.
- Sify News reported India on Tuesday briefed Iran on the reasons for supporting the IAEA resolution.
- Iran Press News reported that Abdolfatah Soltani, one of the lawyers representing the family of murdered photo-journalist Zahra Kazemi, has not been heard from for over 58 days after his arrest by the regime.
- The Hindu reported that Iran has informed India that the five-million-ton a year Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) export deal, is off.
- IranMania reported that Iranian dissident student leader Ali Afshari has been sentenced to six years in jail for attacking national security.
- The Media Line reported that Arab opposition groups in Iran's Ahvaz region began a 'full boycott' on Monday against what they called the "Iranian occupier."
- Dow Jones Newswires reported that Iran will consider reducing its trade with those countries, particularly India that voted for Saturday's U.N. nuclear agency resolution to refer Tehran to the Security Council.
- Radio Free Europe reported that Iran's parliament will hold a closed-door session today to discuss whether to block unlimited inspections of its nuclear facilities.
- The Associated Press reported that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Iran was asking the Europeans Britain, France and Germany and the IAEA for two things: First, they should not insist (on the terms of the resolution). Second, they should correct it. If the other parties' reaction is not along these lines, the Islamic Republic of Iran will take these measures.
- Iranian.com published a call to international artists and activists to perform guerilla street theatres in Tehran.
- Reuters reported that Iran on Monday threatened to restart uranium enrichment saying: Unless the resolution is corrected or if its implementation is insisted upon, Iran will be forced to cancel all its voluntary and temporary measures including implementation of the Additional Protocol.
- Financial Times reported that Iran threatened to end “voluntary and temporary” agreements over its nuclear program unless the United Nations' nuclear watchdog amended a resolution condemning Tehran.
- The NY Times reported that the Bush administration played every card it held to win the split decision on Iran's nuclear program before the International Atomic Energy Agency.
- Pyotr Goncharov, Insight Magazine argued that in its relations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the EU3, Iran is clearly staking everything.
- Deccan Herald reported India's Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran saying: India actually helped Iran buy time for “negotiations and consultations” thereby avoiding a major diplomatic crisis.
- The Washington Post in an editorial said the Bush administration and its European allies have managed to take a small step toward holding Iran accountable for its secret and illegal steps aimed at the production of nuclear weapons.
- Iran Press News pointed out that an Italian Daily called the Islamic regime a two-headed monster with one head inside Iran and the other inside Iraq.
- Human Rights First called for support of Kurdish Iranian women activists recently detained by the regime.
- Mission Centered News reported that more than 3,000 satellite dishes have been confiscated in Iran as the government cracks down on what they're calling "trouble makers" in the country's capital city and more than 12,000 "social polluters" have been arrested.
- The Globe and Mail reported that Sweden has rejected the asylum case of an Iranian journalist who played a key role in revealing the circumstances of the death of Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi.
- Iranian blogger, Hamid Ahadi, Rooz Online points out the focus in Iran is now turning towards the failure of president Ahmadinejad’s first major international policy .
- Iranian blogger, Maryam Kashanim, Rooz Online published an interview with Ahmad Shirzad is a physicist, a former official at Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization who questions the economic soundness of Iran’s nuclear programs and attributed the strong international pressure against it to Iran’s concealments.
- Iranian blogger, Farnaz Ghazizadeh, Rooz Online discuussed 25 Years of unpopular and mandatory head covering by Iranian women.
- Iran Press News reported that the German Newspaper, Die Welt said: In the most recent session of the IAEA's board of governors in Vienna, Tehran's regime was palpably defeated.
- And finally, Rooz Online latest cartoon on Ahmadinejad: Out on a limb.
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I suspect the reason India is not concerned is that they already have, or have the ability to create, significant nuclear energy. Their nuclear technology is sufficient for weapons, it's clearly sufficient for energy. If push comes to shove between the two, India can rely on nuclear power.
Guess Iran will sell it's oil to Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Why'd you add the Saudis to the mix? Iranian officials are not popular in SA these days. Iran's overt push for regional domination irks them a bit.
DUH......because they don't need to buy oil.
"India's vote came as a great surprise to us," he added. "
Iran has gotten away with so much for so long they are surprised to see protests from countries other then the USA. In reality, no one will stop Iran from developing the bomb, our pals (sarcasm) Russia and China will make sure of that. We just need to remind Russia and China that if we get vaporized by one Islamic bomb, we will nuke four of their cities. Too bad we are dismantling our MX Missles. I have a feeling those would come in handy some day.
OH Yeah! That black stuff that comes out of the ground... Seriously though, I thought you were implying an analogous connection between Saudi-Iran as there is an important one related to the nuclear issue between Venez-Iran. No sense looking for complexity where there is none... But to your point about oil, I agree, some do have it and selling it can be very lucrative. Case in point:
...Come 'n listen to my story 'bout a man named Jed A poor mountaineer, barely kept his family fed And then one day, he was shootin' at some fooood And up through the ground come a bubblin' crude... Oil, that is, black gold, Texas tea.
Jed's family story is nearly identical to the Saudi's, just more fun to sing.
It was tongue in cheek. Both SA and Venezuela have no need for Iran's oil.
The (Iranian) Government May Begin Talks With the US (?)
by Soheyl Asefi
Sept. 29, 2005
To learn about the views of the layered hardliners on Iran’s recent foreign policy issues, we decided to talk to cleric Dr Tey Hashemi who is considered a moderate among the Majlis (Parliament) hardliners. He is the deputy chairman of the Majlis’ committee on International, Legal and Majlis affairs, and also on the Cultural Heritage and Domestic Tourism committee. By training Hashemi is a physician who at one time ran the Entekhab newspaper and during the June presidential elections supported Hashemi Rafsanjani’s bid. On Iran’s foreign policy, he advocates an “active diplomacy” during the current sensitive period, talks of possible Bush-Ahmadinejad negotiations, and views the future with uncertainty. Here are the excerpts of the exclusive Rooz interview.
Q-During the June presidential elections in Iran when US President George Bush had intensified his pressures on Iran, in one of your interviews you said that Saddam Hussain too did not take the threats against him seriously. What did you mean?
A-I was refereeing to US policy in the region. We should not take it for granted that US policy is based on reason and rationalism. It is after its own national interest, which is only natural. During their invasion of Iraq they themselves confessed that oil was one of the reasons they decided to oust Saddam. One should not separate US foreign policy from its economic interests. All international events these days carry an economic dimension. The Americans will continue to pursue their national goals until they attain them.
Q-As an associate of the religious right in Iran, what do you propose Iran do?
A-There are more than just two options for us, i.e. surrender to the US or insist on our position and suffer the consequences.
Q-What is the third solution?
A-Active and extensive diplomacy.
Q-This is just a generality, what do you mean by the term?
A-We must engage to build international confidence, using the Iranian culture and civilization. Many people around the world are not familiar with our ancient culture. We must introduce the peace loving and people loving nature of Iranians to the world. As an example of the kind of things we could do is organize something like the Forgotten Empire exhibition that was displayed at the British Museum in London. [see Rooz report on the exhibition]
Q-President Ahmadinejad’s UN General Assembly speech has been interpreted to be confrontational. Before his elections, you had said that there was a possibility of a US strike against Iran. Do you still think so?
A-With the problems that the Americans currently face in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places I doubt they would launch a war against Iran. But if our diplomacy does not become active, then a lot of pressure will be applied on us.
Q-Was Ahmadinejad’s trip to New York to attend the UN General Assembly meeting in step with your idea of an active diplomacy?
A-The team that went to NY was very active, but this does not mean they were successful. Iran’s nuclear issue dominated all international attention. We have to wait and see what will the final decision on Iran. The president explained our position and also invited the international private sector to work on and monitor our nuclear programs and activities.
Q-But the other side completely ignored Iran’s proposal.
A-The proposal was a step towards confidence building. The issue was of honor for Iran. The West however has taken an unclear position on this and has left the issue in suspension.
Q-But why should the nuclear issue be seen as one of honor. Would a rational view not produce better results through which the government could step back from its position?
A-A rational perspective is not always necessarily a retreat in a position. We must strive to remove all the excuses that the US has in this regard.
Q-But how do we plan to remove the excuses?
A-In any case if we retreat from our position today, then our problems will be mani-fold. We must accept of course that the world is serious about nuclear issues. Even if the US’s policy towards Iran is not appropriate, the nuclear issue is a larger subject. This is an issue that the whole world is interested in. All states are concerned abut the spread of weapons of mass destruction, while our right to have nuclear energy remains intact. We have a right to the nuclear fuel cycle. The important thing is that the nuclear fuel cycle should not get into the unlawful domains.
Q-How would you guarantee that it won’t?
A-By remaining transparent and allowing the IAEA to inspect our nuclear facilities. We must enter into negotiations with other countries of the world on this and acquire their confidence and trust in us.
Q-How reasonable is it to depend on the Non Aligned Movement. During the last IAEA resolution only Venezuela voted against the resolution and in favor of Iran, but they did it for their own reasons, and not out of some love for Iran.
A-But the members of the Non Aligned Movement have been supporting Iran on its position. They well understand that if technical issues become politicized, then they too would face similar problems in their own domains. The majority is with us. The Americans too of course are very serious about their issues. We must see whose diplomacy will be more active.
Q-Some observers have said that the issue will go to the brink of a full conflict, while others believe the US may open a door for a dialogue with Iran.
A-In the realm of politics, nothing is impossible. Every government and state must act in its own national interest. There was a time when we had difficulty in our relations with our very neighbors, whereas now we have the best of relations with them. Iran has always had a dialogue with the US, which has never been direct. What you are suggesting is quite possible. It is possible that the new government here may become active to have a direct dialogue with the Americans, and begin talks with them. This is in no way against our religious principles.
http://roozonline.com/11english/010493.shtml
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