Iran announced today that it had reached an agreement with Turkey and Brazil to exchange some of its stockpile of low enriched uranium for more highly enriched uranium that can be used to fuel its research reactor in Tehran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the controversial deal in a three way press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Tehran. Under the proposed deal, Iran would send 1200 kilograms (2,646 pounds) of low enriched uranium to Turkey within a month in …
The Senate yesterday passed a bill that would impose new sanctions on Iran and on companies that assist Iran’s oil industry. The legislation, S.2799, targets companies that supply Iran with gasoline and other refined products or help it to expand its refinery capacity. Although Iran possesses the world’s third largest oil reserves, it must import approximately 40 percent of its gasoline supplies because of a lack of refinery capacity. The House voted to pass similar legislation last month by a vote of 412-12. The Senate vote came the day after …
The EU’s epic folly in appointing arguably the least qualified candidate in Europe to its newly-created post of Foreign Minister, continues to rebound on the struggling organization. The never-elected Cathy Ashton, whose resume boasts no diplomatic experience at all, has appeared before the European Parliament a second time to face questions from its members about her suitability to be Europe’s top diplomat. When asked about whether the EU should replace France and Britain in a single seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), she embarrassingly admitted she knew nothing …
Iran’s dictatorship claimed yesterday that it was provoked to announce the expansion of its nuclear program by a resolution passed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last week that censured Iran for failing to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions on the nuclear issue. Iranian Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, who also supervises Iran’s nuclear program, said that Iran’s decision to build ten more uranium enrichment plants was in retaliation for the IAEA resolution demanding a halt in Iranian enrichment activities. German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle warned that the …
The tentative nuclear deal that the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany) reportedly has reached with Iran has been widely hailed as a success for the Obama Administration’s engagement policy. For example, today a Washington Post article described the deal as “providing a major boost for the Obama administration as it seeks to engage the Islamic republic.” But a closer look at the negotiations gives strong reasons for concern. First of all, the focus on helping Iran to refuel its research reactor in Tehran …
