Iran News Roundup: 19 June 2012

Moscow Talks Concludes

Talks concluded today with the parties agreeing to an “early follow-on technical-level meeting” in Istanbul on July 3^rd, to be followed by a meeting at the deputy-level between the EU and Iran (Reuters 6/19). EU representative Catherine Ashton said the P5+1 remains “absolutely unified in seeking a swift diplomatic resolution to international concerns regarding Iran’s nuclear program, based on the NPT and the full implementation by Iran of UNSC and IAEA Board of Governors Resolutions” (Consilium Europa 6/19). Iran’s representative, Saeed Jalili, added that the Moscow talks were, “more serious, more realistic and way beyond just expressing the viewpoints and positions” (NYT 6/19). Iran left the talks without any assurances of a delay or alleviation of sanctions (NYT 6/19). Oil prices rose on the news (Bloomberg 6/19).
Yesterday, Iran emphasized on Monday that sanctions relief must be provided if Iran is expected to curb its nuclear activities (Salon 6/18). Using a PowerPoint presentation, Jalili laid out a detailed account of Iran’s five point proposal (The Guardian 6/18). NIAC’s statement on the talks can be found here.
Ahmadinejad Sends Message to the West
On his presidential website, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has posted: “’From the beginning the Islamic Republic has stated that if European countries provided 20 percent enriched fuel for Iran, it would not enrich to this level’” (Reuters 6/18).
U.S. Fed Up with MEK Intransigence on Camp Ashraf

The U.S. urged the Mujehedin-e Khalq (MEK) to abandon the paramilitary base it set up under Saddam Hussein, Camp Ashraf, warning that failure to do so would diminish the likelihood that it would succeed in its lobbying campaign to be removed from the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland emphasized that the paramilitary’s base’s closure “is a key factor in determining whether the organization remains invested in its violent past or is committed to leaving that past behind”  (State Dept. 6/18).  An unnamed US official additional said, “We believe that they are gravely mistaken to think that any conceivable Iraqi government would in fact allow them to remain as a paramilitary organization in Iraq” (Reuters 6/18).
Romney: U.S. cannot survive a nuclear Iran

As conservatives in Congress press for confrontation with Iran, presidential candidate Mitt Romney argued, “We cannot survive a- a course of action which would include a nuclear Iran.”  Romney further stated that an attack on Iran would not require Congressional approval (The Washington Post 6/18).
Escalating Sanctions
Iranian banks Pasargad and Bank Tejerat have applied to the Turkish banking watchdog for licenses to operate in Turkey to avoid sanctions on bank transactions with Iran, demonstrating the strain on Iranian banks as a result of political pressure (Reuters 6/18). Turkey has cut its oil imports from Iran from 210,000 bpd to 140,000 bpd in the first four months of this year (Reuters 6/18).
Germany’s Germanischer Lloyd has stopped verifying safety and environmental standards for Iranian companies, making it more difficult for Iranian ships to call at international ports (Reuters 6/18).
An American citizen was turned away from an Apple store after she spoke Farsi with her uncle (WSBTV Atlanta 6/18). The store manager justified the action by explaining the store’s policy was merely complying with US sanctions against Iran, which make the sale of Apple goods to Iran illegal (WSBTV Atlanta 6/18).
Analysis: “MEK Working Through Senate to Sabotage Iran Diplomacy”

Affiliates of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, are claiming to be behind a major letter from the Senate aimed at curtailing U.S. diplomatic efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute.
The letter, sent last week by forty-four Senators, calls for President Obama to abandon any further diplomatic efforts with Iran unless stringent preconditions are immediately met.   While many assumed that the prominent American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) lobby was behind the letter, MEK-affiliates are now taking some of the public credit.
The lead author of the letter, Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), enjoys ties to the Iranian-American Cultural Association of Missouri, an MEK-affiliate that released a statement supporting the letter. (NIAC 6/19)