2015 Iran nuclear deal

Iran Nuclear Talks Resume with Tehran Focused On Sanctions Relief

Western powers said progress was too slow and negotiators had “weeks not months” left before the 2015 deal becomes meaningless.

Vienna: Indirect talks between Iran and the United States on salvaging the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resumed on Monday with Tehran focused on one side of the original bargain, lifting sanctions against it, despite scant progress on reining in its atomic activities.

The seventh round of talks, the first under Iran’s new hardliner President Ebrahim Raisi, ended 10 days ago after adding some new Iranian demands to a working text. Western powers said progress was too slow and negotiators had “weeks not months” left before the 2015 deal becomes meaningless.

Little remains of that deal, which lifted sanctions against Tehran in exchange for restrictions on its atomic activities. The then-President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of it in 2018, re-imposing US sanctions, and Iran later breached many of the deal’s nuclear restrictions and kept pushing well beyond them.

Also read: World Powers Hold ‘Last Chance Talks to Salvage 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal

“If we work hard in the days and weeks ahead we should have a positive result…. It’s going to be very difficult, it’s going to be very hard. Difficult political decisions have to be taken both in Tehran and in Washington,” the talks’ coordinator, European Union envoy Enrique Mora, told a news conference.

He was speaking shortly after a meeting of the remaining parties to the deal – Iran, Russia, China, France, Britain, Germany and the European Union – formally kicked off the round on Monday evening.

“There is a sense of urgency in all delegations that this negotiation has to be finished in a relatively reasonable period of time. Again, I wouldn’t put limits but we are talking about weeks, not about months,” Mora said.

Iran refuses to meet directly with US officials, meaning that other parties must shuttle between the two sides. The United States has repeatedly expressed frustration at this format, saying it slows down the process, and Western officials still suspect Iran is simply playing for time.

The 2015 deal extended the time Iran would need to obtain enough fissile material for a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, to at least a year from around two to three months. Most experts say that time is now less than before the deal, though Iran says it only wants to master nuclear technology for civil uses.

End of the road

“The most important issue for us is to reach a point where, firstly, Iranian oil can be sold easily and without hindrance,” Iranian media quoted foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian as saying.

Mora, however, said both the lifting of sanctions and Iran’s nuclear restrictions would be discussed.

Iran insists all US sanctions must be lifted before steps are taken on the nuclear side, while Western negotiators say nuclear and sanctions steps must be balanced.

US sanctions have slashed Iran’s oil exports, its main revenue source. Tehran does not disclose data, but assessments based on shipping and other sources suggest a fall from about 2.8 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2018 to as low as 200,000 bpd. One survey put exports at 600,000 bpd in June.

Mora said he decided to reconvene the talks during many officials’ holidays between Christmas and the New Year so as not to lose time, but he added that talks would stop for three days as of Friday “because the facilities will not be available”, referring to the luxury hotel hosting most meetings.

When the seventh round wrapped up, incorporating some Iranian demands, negotiators from France, Britain and Germany said in a statement: “This only takes us back nearer to where the talks stood in June”, when the previous round ended.

“We are rapidly reaching the end of the road for this negotiation,” they added.

US Launches Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Militia in Iraq

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has said that President Trump had given him the “authority to do what we need to do consistent with his guidance if that becomes the case.”

The US on Thursday launched airstrikes in Iraq on five weapons storage facilities connected to the Iran-backed Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah. The group is believed to be responsible for the attacks on the Taji military base in Iraq a day earlier, the Pentagon said.

“The United States conducted defensive precision strikes against Kataib Hezbollah facilities across Iraq,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “These weapons storage facilities include facilities that housed weapons used to target the US and coalition troops.”

Three personnel from the US-led coalition in the country were killed in the rocket attacks on Wednesday.

According to an Iraqi military statement, the strikes hit four different locations of the country’s paramilitary forces, police and army around 1:15 am local time.

Also read: Three to Tango: With the US Looming Large, India-Iran Ties Over the Years

The areas hit included Jurf al-Sakher, Al-Musayib, Najaf and Alexandria, where the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Units, as well as emergency regiments and commandos of the Iraqi army, are stationed.

An airstrike also hit an airport that was under construction in Karbala, an airport official told Reuters.

Earlier on Thursday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said that President Donald Trump had given him the “authority to do what we need to do consistent with his guidance if that becomes the case.”

“The United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests, or our allies,” Esper said. “As we have demonstrated in recent months, we will take any action necessary to protect our forces in Iraq and the region.”

The article first appeared on DW. Read the original here.

Iran Seeks Compromise From Europe on Nuclear Deal

The deal has been on life support since the US reimposed sanctions on Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said there was room for maneuver in reimposing the 2015 agreement that kept Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. But he added it would only happen if Germany, France, and the UK showed the same willingness to reinstate the deal’s economic benefits for Iran.

The landmark agreement has been on life support ever since US President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018 and reimposed economic sanctions on Tehran, leaving Germany, France, and the UK struggling to breathe life into the ailing deal.

Iran has responded to the US canceling the agreement with a series of steps back from its own commitments under the deal, including by increasing uranium enrichment.

However, Zarif offered the European trio, and the other members of the accord, China and Russia, an olive branch when he spoke to reporters at the Munich Security Conference.

“We have said that we are prepared to slow down or reverse these measures commensurate with what Europe does,” he said at the annual meeting in Munich.

Also read: Iran: Echoes of Iraqi WMD Claims as European-3 Line up Behind US Pressure Strategy

“We will decide whether what Europe does is sufficient to slow down or to reverse some steps — we have not even ruled out reversing some of the steps that we have taken,” he added. “We’re not talking about charity. We’re talking about Iranian rights and the rights of the Iranian people to receive the economic benefits.”

US sanctions causing ‘irreparable harm’

The renewed US sanctions have almost entirely isolated Iran from the international financial system, driven away oil buyers and forced the Middle Eastern country into a severe recession.

“We have received irreversible harm or irreparable harm because of US sanctions, but, nevertheless, we will reverse the steps that we have taken provided that Europe takes steps that are meaningful.”

The EU, which is an actor within the framework of the nuclear agreement, has been trying to decrease tensions after Germany, France, and the UK triggered a complaint mechanism under the terms of the deal in order to pressure Tehran into returning to full implementation.

The article was originally published on DW. You can read it here.

Iran Says Talks With US Depend on Khamenei’s Permission, Lifting of Sanctions

Trump said last month that he had aborted a military strike to retaliate for Iran’s downing of an unmanned US drone because it could have killed 150 people, and signalled that he was open to talks with Tehran.

Dubai: Iran’s intelligence minister has said Tehran and Washington could hold talks only if the US ended its sanctions and Iran’s top authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, gave his approval, state news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.

“Holding talks with America can be reviewed by Iran only if (US President Donald) Trump lifts the sanctions and our supreme leader gives permission to hold such talks,” Mahmoud Alavi said late on Wednesday.

“Americans were scared of Iran’s military power, that is the reason behind their decision to abort the decision to attack Iran.”

Trump said last month that he had aborted a military strike to retaliate for Iran’s downing of an unmanned US drone over the Strait of Hormuz on June 20 because it could have killed 150 people, and signalled that he was open to talks with Tehran.

Also read: Iran Says It Has Breached 2015 Nuclear Deal’s Stockpile Limit

Tehran said the surveillance drone had been shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile in Iranian airspace, while Washington said it had been in international airspace.

Tension has spiked between Tehran and Washington since last year, when Trump quit the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers and reimposed sanctions that had been lifted under the pact in return for Tehran curbing its sensitive nuclear work.

In reaction to US sanctions, which have notably targeted its main foreign revenue stream in the shape of crude oil exports, Iran has scaled back its commitment to the deal. It said on Wednesday that it would boost its uranium enrichment after July 7 to whatever levels it needs beyond the cap set in the agreement.

The European Union has urged it to stick to the terms of the deal, but Tehran has said its commitment will gradually decrease until Britain, France and Germany can ensure that it benefits financially from the accord – Iran’s main incentive for signing up to it.

World Powers Hold ‘Last Chance Talks to Salvage 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal

An Iranian official told reporters ahead of the meeting that his country’s main demand was to sell its oil at the same levels that it did before Washington withdrew from the accord.

Vienna: World powers will warn Iran to stick to the terms of their nuclear deal when they meet on Friday for “last chance” talks, but with Tehran feeling the pressure from punishing US sanctions, expectations of saving the 2015 accord are low, diplomats say.

President Donald Trump last year pulled the US out of the multinational deal under which sanctions on Iran were lifted in return for curbs on its nuclear programme, verified by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Washington has since re-imposed tough sanctions on Iran, aiming to cut the Islamic Republic’s oil sales to zero to force it to negotiate a broader deal that would also cover its ballistic missile capabilities and regional influence.

Senior diplomats from Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia meet with Iranian officials in Vienna on Friday, with Tehran threatening to exceed the maximum amount of enriched uranium it is allowed under the deal, adding to fears of a military escalation in the region.

“We will repeat to the Iranians that nuclear issues are not negotiable. We want them to stay in the accord, but we won’t accept them messing us around,” a senior European diplomat said.

Also read: Iran Slams Pompeo’s Remarks in Delhi, Accuses US of ‘Pushing for Instability’

Iran‘s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Friday described the talks as a “last chance for the remaining parties … to gather and see how they can meet their commitments towards Iran.”

An Iranian official told reporters ahead of the meeting that his country’s main demand was to sell its oil at the same levels that it did before Washington withdrew from the accord.

However, he cautioned that Tehran had lost patience with the European signatories. Until its demand is met, Iran will continue on its current path and go over limits of the deal one by one, starting with the uranium enrichment level, the official said, although none of the actions are irreversible.

“For one year we exercised patience. Now it is the Europeans’ turn to exercise patience,” he said. “They should try to find solutions, practical solutions and there’s always enough time for diplomacy and there’s always the possibility to go back, to reverse.”

“Reluctant to pull the plug”

Going over such central limits of the deal could prompt European powers to re-impose sanctions through a process known as ‘snapback’. European officials have warned that Europe could go down that road, but are likely to hold back for now and wait for an assessment from the IAEA.

“Europe will react cautiously. Despite strident warnings about the consequences of an Iranian violation, Europe will be reluctant to pull the plug on one of its most important multilateral accomplishments in recent years. It will instead play for time,” said Eurasia analyst Henry Rome.

The cornerstone of European efforts to placate the Iranians is the creation of a mechanism for barter trade called Instex that would net out amounts at either end.

Also read: ‘Iran Is Not a Threat, Trump Is’

Almost six months after it was created, it is still not operational and diplomats say it will only be able to handle small volumes for items like medicine, not the large oil sales Iran is seeking.

European officials argue that it is crucial to show Iran that it is not isolated. At Friday’s meeting they will demonstrate that it is progressing by offering credit lines to facilitate its implementation. But when and if there is a first transaction remains unclear.

“They are impatient on Instex, but it’s complicated,” said one European diplomat. “We’re able to show progress now, but they say it’s not enough. Well that’s tough luck for them. We are doing our best.”

The European powers will also stress their frustration with Tehran publicly pointing the finger at them. They say neither Russia or China, which imported some 40 percent of its oil from Iran prior to sanctions, have done much to ease Tehran’s economic woes.

“It’s about time they also stepped up,” said the diplomat.

(Reuters)

Iran Warns US to Drop Sanctions as Time Runs out for Nuclear Deal

The EU is scrambling to salvage the landmark 2015 deal that froze Iran’s nuclear weapons programme.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that the US should drop sanctions against Iran and return to a 2015 nuclear deal to de-escalate soaring tensions between the two countries.

“The return to the nuclear deal would be the shortest way to secure the interests of all sides … and also good for the world, the region and especially the international [nuclear] non-proliferation treaty,” he said.

The US broke with its European allies last year by withdrawing from the accord and reapplying harsh economic sanctions against Iran. The agreement had included sanctions relief in exchange for Iran accepting limitations to its nuclear program.

Also read: With No Clear Foreign Policy, Trump Is Pushing US Into a Corner on Iran

Since then, the US has imposed more sanctions to try to force unconditional talks on a more stringent agreement.

“We can only tell the Americans that your way was a mistake,” Rouhani said.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei struck a less conciliatory tone. “The Iranian people will never bow to the most hated and malevolent government in the world,” he said, according to his website.

The statements came days after the US President Donald Trump dropped plans to bomb Iran in response to its downing of a US drone. Trump instead signed another round of sanctions.

That incident followed attacks on several oil tankers in the Persian Gulf that Trump blamed on the Iranian military.

Also read: How US Sanctions Are Crippling Iran’s Economy

Fading European hopes to save deal

On Wednesday, the European Union’s UN ambassador urged Iran and the US to salvage the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“The JCPOA … has been working and delivering on its goals,” Joao Vale de Almeida told the UN Security Council. “There is also no credible, peaceful alternative.”

French UN Ambassador Francois Delattre told the body that the accord’s demise “brings with it uncertainty and potentially grave consequences for the region, for the nonproliferation regime and for our collective security.”

“Tehran must refrain from any measure that would place Iran in breach of its commitments,” he said.

Iran’s UN ambassador, Majid Takht Ravanchi, said the US withdrawal from the deal and reimposition of sanctions had “rendered the JCPOA almost fully ineffective.”

“Iran alone cannot, shall not and will not take all of the burdens any more to preserve the JCPOA,” he added.

Also read: US Sanctions Have Permanently Closed the Path to Diplomacy: Iran

Iranian non-compliance imminent

Iran announced in March that it would partially withdraw from the deal. On Wednesday, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said the country could potentially exceed one of the deal’s enrichment limits on Thursday.

“The deadline of the Atomic Energy Organization for passing the production of enriched uranium from the 300-kilogram limit will end tomorrow,” the IRIB news agency quoted spokesman Behrouz Kamalvindi as saying.

The country had exported excess uranium to keep its stockpile within limits. Recent US sanctions blocked all further sales abroad.

Iran war ‘wouldn’t last very long’

Trump told US broadcaster Fox News on Wednesday that he thought Iran’s leadership was not “smart.”

“Look what’s happened to Iran. Iran is going down the tubes. Their people can’t eat. They are rioting all over their streets,” he said.

Asked if a war with the country was imminent, the president said: “I’m not talking boots on the ground. I’m just saying if something would happen, it wouldn’t last very long.”

This article was originally published on Deutsche Welle.

Putin Walks Tightrope Between Israel and Iran

Russian President Vladimir Putin builds influence in the Middle East, juggling diverse interests of nations like Syria, Turkey, Iran and Israel.

London: During the recent Israeli general election campaign, Donald Trump brazenly tipped the scales in favor of incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu against challenger Benny Gantz. On the eve of the Israeli prime minister’s March 25 visit to Washington, the US president endorsed Israel’s annexation of Syria’s Golan Heights in violation of United Nations resolutions. Netanyahu hailed this as “a miracle.” Then, Trump topped this dramatic move by declaring the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp of Iran, a sworn enemy of Israel, a terrorist organisation a day before the April 9 polling date.

In between, Russian President Vladimir Putin provided Netanyahu with an electoral gift that captured the public’s imagination. Following his April 4 meeting with Putin in Moscow, Netanyahu announced that the remains of Sergeant Zachary Baumel, missing in action in Syria since 1982, had been returned to Israel. In a country where conscription applies to all Jewish citizens with a few minor exemptions, the news had personal resonance for nearly 80% of the population.

Trump’s announcement on the IRGC caused concern in the Kremlin. Since September 2015, the Russian military in Syria has coordinated activities with its Syrian counterpart, which has become increasingly dependent on the logistical, technical and training support of the IRGC.

Putin has managed to maintain cordial relations with arch-enemies Iran and Israel simultaneously by depending on different sets of pillars. As for Israel, the treatment of Jews in contemporary and historical Russia is a major element. Equally significant are Putin’s personal views on Judaism and friendly relations with leading Jewish business people and officials.

In the case of Iran, geopolitical and economic interests are primary factors. As littoral states of the inland Caspian Sea, Russia and Iran share fluvial borders. Endowed with huge oil and natural gas deposits, they have a common interest in assuring robust prices for these commodities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani during a meeting in Tehran, Iran November 1, 2017. Credit: Reuters/Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin

Valuing friendship with Iran

In his drive to regain the influence that the Soviet Union had in the Middle East during the Cold War, Putin has come to value friendship with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which broke away from the American orbit more than 40 years ago.

The Kremlin’s friendship with this regime, which maintained a strategic alliance with Syria since its inception, acquired greater prominence after Russia lost its naval facilities at the Libyan port of Benghazi in the wake of Muammar Gaddafi’s downfall in 2011. That reduced its naval access to Syria’s Latakia port in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The outbreak of civil war in Syria that threatened the regime of President Bashar al-Assad brought Russia and Iran together as his strong supporters.

Also Read: 40 Years After the Revolution, All Eyes Are on Iran Again

Moscow’s friendly relations with Tehran began in 1995 when Russian President Boris Yeltsin agreed to build a civilian nuclear power plant at Bushehr under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Only in 2010 did the Russians make this plant operational.

During those 15 years, there were two developments – one was defence cooperation between Iran and Russia; the other was demographic change in Israel. In 2007, the Kremlin signed a $800 million contract to supply Tehran with advanced anti-aircraft S-300 missiles. That was two years after Putin became the first Russian president to visit Israel. By then, the influx of Soviet Jews into Israel had made Russian the third most widely spoken first language after Hebrew and Arabic. On the national security front, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert feared Iran would deploy the missiles to safeguard its nuclear facilities, thus depriving his country of the option of bombing these sites.

It was left to Netanyahu, who became prime minister in 2009, to make a secret dash by private jet to Moscow to pressure President Dmitry Medvedev to cancel the missile deal. In September 2010, the Kremlin put its defensive missile contract on hold, citing the UN Security Council resolution passed in June, imposing an arms embargo on Tehran. Delivery of an improved version of S-300 missiles ensued only after the Security Council endorsed Iran’s denuclearisation deal with its five permanent members and Germany in July 2015.

Meanwhile, during his second visit to Israel in 2012, Putin inaugurated the Victory Monument in Netanya, commemorating the sacrifices of the Soviet military on behalf of Jews during World War II. “The Jewish Holocaust was the most shameful and dark event in human history, and the Soviet Army was the one who crushed the head of the Nazi monster,” he said. “This amazing monument strengthens the respect I feel towards to the Jewish people and the State of Israel.”

Warming relations with Israel

Since then, personal relations between Putin and Netanyahu have warmed. Tellingly, Israel abstained in a UN General Assembly resolution in March 2014 condemning Russia for its annexation of Crimea. Soon after, Israel agreed to installation of an encrypted communications line between the offices of Netanyahu and Putin. On the popular level, Russians and Israelis have increased person-to-person contacts since 2008, when visa-free travel was introduced. There are about 60 flights a week between Tel Aviv and Moscow.

In the Syrian civil war, Damascus gave the Russian Navy indefinite use of its Hmeimim Airport near Latakia free of charge, according to the 2015 Russian-Syrian treaty. Soon after, Netanyahu flew to Moscow to confer with Putin. But nothing changed. Putin reaffirmed his staunch backing for Assad by sending Russian warplanes to its Syrian base and bolstering Syria’s depleted weapons arsenal.

To avoid accidental air clashes between Israeli and Russian warplanes, the governments established a de-confliction hotline between the Kirya command center in Tel Aviv and the Russian military base at Hmeimim. Netanyahu pressed Putin to end or at least reduce Iran’s involvement in Syria. Putin was in no position to oblige, however.

Iran and Syria had signed a mutual defence pact in 2006. “Iran considers Syria’s security its own security, and we consider our defence capabilities to be those of Syria,” declared Iran’s defence minister General Mostafa Mohammad Najjar. No details were disclosed.

A three-way summit on Wednesday between the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey has produced decisive steps toward ending the bloodshed in Syria. Credit: Reuters

Diplomatic nimbleness

A striking example of Putin’s acrobatic diplomatic nimbleness came on the eve of the Putin-Trump summit in Helsinki in 2018. Netanyahu flew to Moscow on July 11 to urge Putin on removal of Iranian forces from post-war Syria. Reports suggest Putin gave him a patient hearing. Putin’s Sphinx-like expression during one-on-one meetings left his interlocutor wondering. The next day, however, Putin met with Ali Akbar Velayati, chief foreign policy adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While handing letters of Khamenei and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani to Putin, Velayati hailed Tehran’s links with Moscow as “strategic.”

The next month, during the Iranian defence minister’s visit to Damascus, Iran and Syria signed an agreement to enhance military and defense cooperation, according to the Tasnim News Agency, which is close to the IRGC. Again, details were missing.

That had not been the case during four rounds of talks Putin held with Rouhani and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, presidents of Iran and Turkey, since 2017 in Sochi. Their declared aim: finding a political solution to end Syria’s long-running civil war.

At the most recent gathering in February, Putin urged Rouhani and Erdoğan, pursuing different agendas, to cooperate on bringing the conflict to an end. A glimmer of hope came on April 8 when after meeting Erdoğan, Putin said that their countries – in coordination with the Syrian government, the opposition and the UN – were ready for a committee, 150 members strong, to draft a new constitution for Syria.

Putin may have switched his skills from tightrope walking to jugglery by keeping four balls in the air – Israel, Syria, Iran and Turkey.

Dilip Hiro’s latest and 37th book is Cold War in the Islamic World: Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Struggle for Supremacy, published by Oxford University Press, New York; Hurst & Co., London; and HarperCollins India, Noida.

This article has been republished from Yale Global Online. Read the original here.

Netanyahu Claims Secret Iranian Nuclear Site in UN Speech

The Israel PM argued that an aerial photograph of the Iranian capital had a previously secret warehouse holding nuclear-related material and showed that Iran still sought to obtain nuclear weapons, despite its 2015 agreement with world powers to curb its programme in exchange for loosening of sanctions.

United Nations: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday described what he said was a secret atomic warehouse in Tehran and accused Europe of appeasing Iran as he sought to rally support for US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Netanyahu showed an aerial photograph of the Iranian capital marked with a red arrow and pointed to what he said was a previously secret warehouse holding nuclear-related material.

He argued this showed Iran still sought to obtain nuclear weapons, despite its 2015 agreement with world powers to curb its program in exchange for the loosening of sanctions.

Netanyahu spoke 4-1/2 months after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord, arguing it did too little to rein in Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and triggering the resumption of US economic sanctions on Iran.

Netanyahu said the site contained some 15 kg (33 pounds) of radioactive material that has since been moved, and he called on the UN atomic agency to inspect the location immediately with Geiger counters.

“I am disclosing for the first time that Iran has another secret facility in Tehran, a secret atomic warehouse for storing massive amounts of equipment and materiel from Iran’s secret nuclear program,” Netanyahu said.

The world will dismiss Netanyahu’s claims, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said, according to Fars News.

“The world will only laugh loudly at this type of false, meaningless and unnecessary speech and false shows,” Qassemi said.

Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that there should be more scrutiny on Israel’s nuclear programme.

“No arts & craft show will ever obfuscate that Israel is only regime in our region with a *secret* and *undeclared* nuclear weapons program – including an *actual atomic arsenal*. Time for Israel to fess up and open its illegal nuclear weapons program to international inspectors,” Zarif tweeted.

Israel has pushed the United States toward isolation, Zarif said, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

“In recent days we’ve seen how much the policies that Netanyahu has imposed on America has isolated them in the General Assembly and Security Council,” Zarif said, according to IRNA. “Now see when they can pull America to this level of isolation how isolated they are themselves.”

Netanyahu did not identify the material nor specifically suggest that Iran had actively violated the nuclear deal.

Secret archive

A US State Department official called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to investigate Netanyahu’s claims.

In a statement, the official said it was “absolutely imperative that the IAEA fully exercise its authorities in order to provide confidence to the international community that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran.”

An outspoken opponent of the deal, Netanyahu has previously made allegations about Iran’s nuclear activities that are difficult or impossible to verify, including presenting a cartoon bomb to the General Assembly in 2012 warning of how close Tehran was to producing a nuclear device.

In April, Netanyahu presented what he said was evidence of a large secret archive of documents related to Iran’s clandestine nuclear weapons program at a different site in Tehran.

He said Israeli agents removed vast amounts of documents from that site. At the time, Iran said the documents were fake.

In a speech in which he said relatively little about efforts to achieve peace with the Palestinians, Netanyahu said Iran had since begun moving items out of the second site.

“Since we raided the atomic archive, they’ve been busy cleaning out the atomic warehouse. Just last month they removed 15 kilograms of radioactive material. You know what they did with it?” he said. “They took it out and they spread it around Tehran in an effort to hide the evidence.”

He said Iranian officials still had a lot of work to do because there were some 15 shipping containers full of nuclear-related equipment and materials stored at the second site.

“This site contained as much as 300 tonnes – 300 tonnes – of nuclear-related equipment and materiel,” he said.

Under the nuclear deal struck by Iran and six major powers – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US – Tehran agreed to limit its nuclear program in return for relief from US and other economic sanctions.

The IAEA has repeatedly said Tehran was abiding by its commitments to the deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including in a document reviewed by Reuters on August 30.

France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia have stayed in the pact, vowing to save it despite the restoration of US sanctions and this week discussing a barter mechanism they hope may allow Iran to circumvent the US measures.

Netanyahu criticized Europe for doing so in unusually harsh language that evoked European nations’ initial failure to confront Nazi Germany in the 1930s.

“While the United States is confronting Iran with new sanctions, Europe and others are appeasing Iran by trying to help it bypass those new sanctions,” Netanyahu said.

Misleading

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US is aware of the facility Netanyahu announced and described it as a “warehouse” used to store “records and archives” from Iran’s nuclear program.

A second US intelligence official called Netanyahu’s comments “somewhat misleading. First, we have known about this facility for some time, and it’s full of file cabinets and paper, not aluminium tubes for centrifuges, and second, so far as anyone knows, there is nothing in it that would allow Iran to break out of the JCPOA any faster than it otherwise could.”

The Israeli leader also lambasted Iran’s ballistic missile activity, identifying three locations near Beirut airport where he said Lebanon’s Hezbollah was converting missiles.

“In Lebanon, Iran is directing Hezbollah to build secret sites to convert inaccurate projectiles into precision-guided missiles, missiles that can target deep inside Israel within an accuracy of 10 metres (yards),” he said.

The IAEA and Hezbollah were not immediately available for comment.

The Israeli military released a video clip and photos of what it said were Hezbollah Shi’ite militia rocket building sites in Lebanon, shortly after Netanyahu’s address.

(Reuters)

Indian Oil Refiner Part-Owned by Iranian Company Cancels Iran Oil Imports

India’s Chennai Petroleum will stop processing Iranian crude oil from October to keep its insurance coverage once new sanctions by the United States against Iran go into effect.

New Delhi: India’s Chennai Petroleum will stop processing Iranian crude oil from October to keep its insurance coverage once new sanctions by the United States against Iran go into effect, three sources familiar with the issue said.

Iran’s Naftiran Intertrade Co Ltd, a trading arm for state-owned National Iranian Oil Co, owns a 15.4% stake in Chennai Petroleum, which has two refineries with a total combined capacity of 230,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd).

In May, US President Donald Trump pulled out of an international nuclear deal with Iran and announced new sanctions against the country, the third-largest producer among the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Washington is pushing allies to cut Iranian oil imports to zero once the sanctions on the petroleum sector start up on November 4.

United India Insurance has informed Chennai Petroleum that its new annual policy that is set to take effect from October will not cover any liability related to processing crude from Iran, the three sources said. This has forced the refiner to cancel a scheduled loading of 1 million barrels in October, they said.

Indian insurers do not fall directly under the sanctions, but need to hedge their own risk on the Western reinsurance market, which will not accept Iranian exposure.

“It is quite complicated.. reinsurers are quite apprehensive about extending cover for Chennai Petroleum,” said one of the sources, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Chennai Petroleum’s reduced demand will further cut India’s imports from Iran to about 10 million tonnes in October, lower than previous estimates reported by Reuters.

“Reinsurers have said they can not provide full 100% cover. They have agreed to provide support for only 85% cover,” said a second source, who also declined to be identified.

Chennai Petroleum, a subsidiary of the country’s biggest refiner Indian Oil Corp (IOC), has a deal to buy up to 2 million tonnes, or 40,000 bpd, of oil from Iran in the fiscal year 2018/19.

IOC imports oil on behalf of Chennai Petroleum.

Chennai Petroleum and United India Insurance did not respond to requests for comment.

With Chennai’s absence, Iran is left with just two Indian clients, Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd, and IOC.

State-owned refiner Hindustan Petroleum Corp has already halted purchases due to insurance problems, while Bharat Petroleum Corp boosted Iranian purchases earlier this year and expects to sharply cut Iranian flows once the sanctions take effect.

Nayara Energy is also preparing to halt Iranian imports from November, while Reliance Industries and HPCL-Mittal Energy Ltd have already stopped buying Iranian oil.

(Reuters)

Europe Must Offset US Pullout From Nuclear Deal, Says Iran Foreign Minister

EU officials strongly oppose the May decision by the US to withdraw from the nuclear agreement and have sought to salvage the deal in some form.

Berlin: Europe should take action to neutralise the consequences of the US decision to quit a 2015 Iran nuclear accord to ensure its own long-term economic interests, Iran’s foreign minister said in an interview published on Saturday.

Mohammed Javad Zarif told Germany’s Der Spiegel news magazine that Iran could “reduce its implementation” of the agreement and possibly increase uranium enrichment activities if the nuclear agreement was jeopardised by “the actions of the Americans and the passivity of the Europeans.”

“The Europeans and other signatories must act to offset the consequences of the US sanctions,” Zarif told the magazine, calling a package of measures drafted by Europe an important step that should now be implemented.

“What is paramount: Europe should do so not for Iran, but for its own sovereign and long-term economic interests.”

EU officials strongly oppose the May decision by the US to withdraw from the nuclear agreement and have sought to salvage the deal in some form.

Germany on Friday said it was considering setting up a payment system with its European partners that would allow continued business transactions with Iran once US sanctions kick in.

However, German officials concede privately that such a system would not prevent big companies that rely on US exports to escape US sanctions if they continue to sell to Iran.

Zarif said Tehran’s biggest priority was to continue to sell a reasonable amount oil worldwide and return the proceeds to Iran, as well encouraging investment and cooperation in areas such as technology and research.

“Europe said the nuclear agreement was in its security interest. Then Europe must be ready to pay for its security,” Zarif said. “Nothing is for free.”

He said Europe should be “ready to pay for its security” by implementing a EU “blocking agreement” under which it can punish European firms for withdrawing from Iranian business deals to avoid US sanctions.

“The question is whether European wants its companies to follow European laws or American ones, or whether it will submit to the American dictates,” Zarif said.

He said Iran had options to act if Europe failed to act to compensate Iran for the US sanctions.

“We do not necessarily have to cancel (the agreement). Article 36 of the agreement and Security Resolution 2231 make it possible to reduce implementation, without cancelling it,” he said.

Asked if Iran could resume increased enrichment of uranium, he said, “That would be one of the possibilities.”

Zarif said Tehran would not “waste its time” on additional negotiations with the United States about Iran’s behaviour in the region unless Washington rescinded its decision to withdraw from the nuclear agreement.

“Only when Europe ensures that (the agreement) is implemented can Iran see if the attempt should be made to talk about other issues,” he said.

(Reuters)