- Iranian Official: Nuclear Deal "Accelerated Some of Iran's Nuclear Activities"
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, told Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations on Wednesday that the volume of nuclear material has increased significantly since implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He said the negotiations had left the major components of Iran's nuclear program intact.
"We have accelerated the pace, including in the volume of nuclear material which was 550 tons before, now we have 770 tons of nuclear material; this is a fact known to IAEA. With heavy water, we secured the project along with R&D, extraction and exploration. These provide testimony to the fact that allegations of complete suspension of nuclear activities are baseless. In the process, we also secured UNSC's acknowledgment and recognition of Iran's nuclear program," Salehi emphasized.
"A major drive behind pressures on Iran was to prevent enrichment and heavy water production; they believed Iran should not have been active in these areas; however, we were active in both paths, since we were not sure which one would lead us to nuclear fuel sooner." (Mehr News-Iran)
- Army Commander: Iran to Enhance Missile Capabilities Despite UN Resolutions
Commander of Iran's Army Maj.-Gen. Ataollah Salehi says the country will enhance its missile capabilities despite U.S.-led efforts to curb them. The U.S. government imposed fresh sanctions on Iran over its missile activities, a day after Tehran and the West agreed to implement the nuclear accord (JCPOA). Washington argued that Iran's missile activities violated a UN Security Council resolution which bars the Islamic Republic from developing missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.
On Thursday, Gen. Salehi said, "We are neither paying any attention to the resolutions against Iran, nor implementing them....We are doing our job and our missile program for the future will be stronger and more precise." He added that Iran's weapons are "a threat to the enemies of this establishment. Israel should fully realize the meaning of this concept." (Press TV-Iran)
America Makes a Pro-Iranian U-Turn in the Middle East - Tony Badran (Tablet)
- The first thing the Obama Administration did following the recent burning of the Saudi embassy and consulate in Iran by a state-sponsored mob was to launch a media campaign pushing the message that the problem was actually Saudi Arabia.
- The foundation of the new American-approved security framework for the region is the legitimization of Iranian spheres of influence, especially in Iraq and Syria. President Obama has repeatedly described this new structure as establishing "equilibrium" between "the Shiites," which means Iran, and "the Sunnis," primarily meaning the Saudis.
- Iran has naturally been seizing the opportunity to leverage U.S. support to advance its own regional interests, which happen to run squarely against the traditional American alliance system. Iran is a revolutionary actor, whose expressed objective is to overturn the existing order and replace it with Iranian hegemony.
- Iranian impunity is not a function of Iran's actual military power vis-a-vis the U.S. Rather, it emanates from the Iranian understanding that Obama wants to extricate the U.S. from the region, has no interest in maintaining the old American order, and is therefore willing to recognize Iran's position at the head of the regional table.
- Hence, the administration has found itself repeatedly acting as Iran's lawyer, excusing and justifying its behavior, legitimizing its ambitions, and instead lashing out at old regional allies like Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
- Yet there is nothing very appealing to most Americans about the prospect of making a pro-Iranian U-turn in U.S. foreign policy.
The writer is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Iran's Newest Palestinian Proxy - Khaled Abu Toameh
Al-Sabireen ("the Patient Ones") has recruited hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza, many of them former members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, together with many disgruntled Fatah activists. Al-Sabireen considers Hamas "soft" on Israel because it does not wage daily terror attacks. Al-Sabireen has described the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions against Tehran as a "victory" for all Muslims and proof of their "pride and strength."
Muslims should now unite to stand up to the "world's arrogance and remove the Zionist entity from the land of Palestine."According to PA security sources, Al-Sabireen has already located some West Bank Palestinians who were more than happy to join the group's jihad against Jews and Israel. PA security forces recently arrested five members of an Al-Sabireen terror cell in Bethlehem.
Iran is now free to underwrite terror throughout the region, including in the West Bank and Gaza. The future of the Middle East will be shockingly different if any Palestinian state were to fall into the hands of Iran's Islamic extremists and their allies. (Gatestone Institute)
Al-Sabireen ("the Patient Ones") has recruited hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza, many of them former members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, together with many disgruntled Fatah activists. Al-Sabireen considers Hamas "soft" on Israel because it does not wage daily terror attacks. Al-Sabireen has described the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions against Tehran as a "victory" for all Muslims and proof of their "pride and strength."
Muslims should now unite to stand up to the "world's arrogance and remove the Zionist entity from the land of Palestine."According to PA security sources, Al-Sabireen has already located some West Bank Palestinians who were more than happy to join the group's jihad against Jews and Israel. PA security forces recently arrested five members of an Al-Sabireen terror cell in Bethlehem.
Iran is now free to underwrite terror throughout the region, including in the West Bank and Gaza. The future of the Middle East will be shockingly different if any Palestinian state were to fall into the hands of Iran's Islamic extremists and their allies. (Gatestone Institute)
- Supreme Court Allows Families of Terrorism Victims to Collect Iranian Assets - Robert Barnes
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday cleared the way for American families whose loved ones were killed by terrorism to collect nearly $2 billion in frozen Iranian assets. The justices ruled 6 to 2 that Congress had not violated the separation of powers by passing a bill that made it easier to collect the money for those whose family members were killed in the 1983 bombing of a U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and other attacks blamed on Iran. The suit involved survivors of 173 of the 241 killed in the Beirut attack who had secured judgments against Iran. (Washington Post)
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump outlined an “America first” foreign policy approach in what was billed as a major address at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Here is EXCERPTS ABOUT IRAN of the speech.
"
He negotiated a disastrous deal with Iran, and then we watched them ignore its terms, even before the ink was dry.
Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and, under a Trump Administration, will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
All of this without even mentioning the humiliation of the United States with Iran’s treatment of our ten captured sailors.
In negotiation, you must be willing to walk. The Iran deal, like so many of our worst agreements, is the result of not being willing to leave the table. When the other side knows you’re not going to walk, it becomes absolutely impossible to win."
.
"And under a Trump administration, will never, ever be allowed to have that nuclear weapon."
" Sadly, I was correct, and the biggest beneficiary has been has been Iran, who is systematically taking over Iraq and gaining access to their very rich oil reserves, something it has wanted to do for decades."
Here is EXCERPTS ABOUT IRAN of the speech.
"
He negotiated a disastrous deal with Iran, and then we watched them ignore its terms, even before the ink was dry.
Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and, under a Trump Administration, will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
All of this without even mentioning the humiliation of the United States with Iran’s treatment of our ten captured sailors.
In negotiation, you must be willing to walk. The Iran deal, like so many of our worst agreements, is the result of not being willing to leave the table. When the other side knows you’re not going to walk, it becomes absolutely impossible to win."
.
"And under a Trump administration, will never, ever be allowed to have that nuclear weapon."
" Sadly, I was correct, and the biggest beneficiary has been has been Iran, who is systematically taking over Iraq and gaining access to their very rich oil reserves, something it has wanted to do for decades."
Iran Threatens to Block Vital Oil Shipping Route - Rick Gladstone
Tensions between Iran and the U.S. are showing signs of worsening, with Lt. Cmdr. Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital Persian Gulf oil shipping route, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei questioning the longstanding deployment of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in the region.
The Iranians are also seething over an April 20 Supreme Court ruling that permitted the use of nearly $2 billion in seized Iranian assets to compensate American victims of overseas attacks that U.S. officials have attributed to Iran. Last week, Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called the ruling a crime and an example of American arrogance. (New York Times)
Tensions between Iran and the U.S. are showing signs of worsening, with Lt. Cmdr. Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz, a vital Persian Gulf oil shipping route, and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei questioning the longstanding deployment of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet in the region.
The Iranians are also seething over an April 20 Supreme Court ruling that permitted the use of nearly $2 billion in seized Iranian assets to compensate American victims of overseas attacks that U.S. officials have attributed to Iran. Last week, Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, called the ruling a crime and an example of American arrogance. (New York Times)
How Iran Is Twisting Reality to Get What It Wants - Emily Landau
Nothing has changed in terms of Iran's military nuclear ambitions, and Iran continues to advance its program where it can. In the post-deal period, Iran continues to try to squeeze more concessions from the West - to ensure improvement of its economic situation beyond what was agreed to. Iran forever glosses over its aggressive regional behavior, gross human rights violations, and missile and nuclear advances.
In attempting to squeeze more concessions, Iran adamantly claims that it has upheld its end of the bargain meticulously, while accusing the U.S. of bad-faith behavior and of shirking its commitments. These accusations were predictable from the start, because the tactic has been employed so many times before. It is the exact pattern that Iran followed in the early stage of negotiations with the EU-3, from 2003-05.
Generally speaking, the U.S. has refrained from pushing back with determination against Iran's false narratives. The administration's response to Iran's missile tests that violated UN Security Council resolutions was delayed and relatively mute, failing to highlight Iran's ongoing support for terror.
Iran's success in the long and drawn-out negotiation with the international community from 2003 to 2015 was due to its ability to manipulate the weaknesses in the NPT long enough, so that when it was finally forced to negotiate seriously, it already had an advanced nuclear program.
Nothing has changed in terms of Iran's military nuclear ambitions, and Iran continues to advance its program where it can. In the post-deal period, Iran continues to try to squeeze more concessions from the West - to ensure improvement of its economic situation beyond what was agreed to. Iran forever glosses over its aggressive regional behavior, gross human rights violations, and missile and nuclear advances.
In attempting to squeeze more concessions, Iran adamantly claims that it has upheld its end of the bargain meticulously, while accusing the U.S. of bad-faith behavior and of shirking its commitments. These accusations were predictable from the start, because the tactic has been employed so many times before. It is the exact pattern that Iran followed in the early stage of negotiations with the EU-3, from 2003-05.
Generally speaking, the U.S. has refrained from pushing back with determination against Iran's false narratives. The administration's response to Iran's missile tests that violated UN Security Council resolutions was delayed and relatively mute, failing to highlight Iran's ongoing support for terror.
Iran's success in the long and drawn-out negotiation with the international community from 2003 to 2015 was due to its ability to manipulate the weaknesses in the NPT long enough, so that when it was finally forced to negotiate seriously, it already had an advanced nuclear program.
[FONT=verdana, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, sans-serif]Rouhani Praises Iran's Terror Reach - Michael Rubin
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=verdana, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, sans-serif]Here is President Rouhani, the so-called moderate, showering with praise Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force and Iran's master terrorist, with whom Rouhani described a 30-year friendship: "If we look at eastern Iran, and not just Iran but also throughout Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, we see the footprints of General Soleimani's valor and courage....The IRGC is a pioneer for the sacrifice and defense of holy shrines in Iraq and Syria and for the defense of the oppressed in Palestine and Lebanon and other countries that request Iran's help."
Consider "Palestine," where Soleimani's partners are not the Palestinian Authority or those seeking to live side-by-side with Israel, but rather Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - both of which dedicate themselves to the elimination of Israel and any Jewish presence in the region, in effect, seeking genocide. To endorse such life's work suggests that Rouhani is complicit in endorsing, if not enabling, terrorism. The writer is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=verdana, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, sans-serif] (Commentary)[/FONT][/FONT]
[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=verdana, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, sans-serif]Here is President Rouhani, the so-called moderate, showering with praise Qassem Soleimani, head of the Quds Force and Iran's master terrorist, with whom Rouhani described a 30-year friendship: "If we look at eastern Iran, and not just Iran but also throughout Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, we see the footprints of General Soleimani's valor and courage....The IRGC is a pioneer for the sacrifice and defense of holy shrines in Iraq and Syria and for the defense of the oppressed in Palestine and Lebanon and other countries that request Iran's help."
Consider "Palestine," where Soleimani's partners are not the Palestinian Authority or those seeking to live side-by-side with Israel, but rather Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad - both of which dedicate themselves to the elimination of Israel and any Jewish presence in the region, in effect, seeking genocide. To endorse such life's work suggests that Rouhani is complicit in endorsing, if not enabling, terrorism. The writer is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=verdana, sans-serif][FONT=verdana, sans-serif] (Commentary)[/FONT][/FONT]
A senior Iranian military commander claimed that U.S. officials are quietly encouraging the Islamic Republic to keep its illicit ballistic missile tests a secret so as not to raise concerns in the region, according to Persian language comments.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace and Missile Force, said in recent remarks that the Obama administration does not want Iran to publicize its ongoing missile tests, which have raised questions about the Islamic Republic’s commitment to last summer’s comprehensive nuclear agreement.
“At this time, the Americans are telling [us]: ‘Don’t talk about missile affairs, and if you conduct a test or maneuver, don’t mention it,’” Hajizadeh was quoted as saying during a recent Persian-language speech that was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute.
The State Department declined to comment.
Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace and Missile Force, said in recent remarks that the Obama administration does not want Iran to publicize its ongoing missile tests, which have raised questions about the Islamic Republic’s commitment to last summer’s comprehensive nuclear agreement.
“At this time, the Americans are telling [us]: ‘Don’t talk about missile affairs, and if you conduct a test or maneuver, don’t mention it,’” Hajizadeh was quoted as saying during a recent Persian-language speech that was translated by the Middle East Media Research Institute.
The State Department declined to comment.
The Islamic Revolution Continues beyond Iran's Borders - Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Segall
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (the dickhead who was targeted by Iran in a Wash DC restaurant bomb plot that was thwarted, and who then turned around and threatened the US economically if we released info about the Saudi gov't and 9/11 - SL) in April that the U.S. Fifth Fleet and other international forces recently intercepted four ships ferrying weapons from Iran to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. In March, Lebanese and Gulf media reported that Hizbullah missile and rocket experts were training and assisting Houthi rebels with precision barrages on Saudi territory.
Iran's ongoing subversive activity in assisting Lebanese Hizbullah in Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and other places is intended to signal that Iran will keep working to export the Iranian revolution. In this context, Iran's supply of missiles and rockets to the Houthis in Yemen, Lebanese Hizbullah, and the Palestinian terror organizations is of great importance.
Standing against this trend is Saudi Arabia, which continues to draw blood in Yemen and to pay large sums for the ongoing campaign in Syria - two arenas where Iran is heavily involved. The Saudis are thus trying to forge an effective blocking coalition against Iran's expansionist ambitions in the region.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (the dickhead who was targeted by Iran in a Wash DC restaurant bomb plot that was thwarted, and who then turned around and threatened the US economically if we released info about the Saudi gov't and 9/11 - SL) in April that the U.S. Fifth Fleet and other international forces recently intercepted four ships ferrying weapons from Iran to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. In March, Lebanese and Gulf media reported that Hizbullah missile and rocket experts were training and assisting Houthi rebels with precision barrages on Saudi territory.
Iran's ongoing subversive activity in assisting Lebanese Hizbullah in Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and other places is intended to signal that Iran will keep working to export the Iranian revolution. In this context, Iran's supply of missiles and rockets to the Houthis in Yemen, Lebanese Hizbullah, and the Palestinian terror organizations is of great importance.
Standing against this trend is Saudi Arabia, which continues to draw blood in Yemen and to pay large sums for the ongoing campaign in Syria - two arenas where Iran is heavily involved. The Saudis are thus trying to forge an effective blocking coalition against Iran's expansionist ambitions in the region.
who do you believe more?
Repressive Iranian dictators?
Obama, Kerry & Clinton?
the dictators hands down for me, the other three aren't capable of telling the truth if their very lives depended on it, they're genetically inclined to lie
Repressive Iranian dictators?
Obama, Kerry & Clinton?
the dictators hands down for me, the other three aren't capable of telling the truth if their very lives depended on it, they're genetically inclined to lie
