Abdi op-ed: On Iran, Obama faces wrath of congress and the pro-war lobby
War watch: Increased chatter in the UK and Israel over possible military actions in Iran
Nasr: Why contain Iran when its own aims will do just that?
Qatar Airways to ply domestic routes in sanctions-hit Iran
How sanctions held Iran’s government together
Iran, in “rant” to US, rebuts allegations
Saudi Arabia deports Iranian pilgrims
Friedman op-ed: A long list of suckers
Russia, China may blunt Western pressure on Iran
Iran: Ahmadinejad questioning fails to win majority
Huffington Post: On Iran, Obama faces wrath of congress and the pro-war lobby
NIAC’s policy director Jamal Abdi explains that the ‘Iran Threat Reduction Act’ going in front the House Foreign Affairs Committee today for markup is not placing “sanctions against the Iranian regime, in reality these are sanctions against the U.S. President.” This act eliminates the president’s humanitarian waiver on things like the sale of airplane parts to civilian airlines.  Additionally, this act codifies into law Iranian sanctions so that the president would no longer be able to unilaterally remove sanctions and would now require congressional approval, thus limiting his leverage in negotiations with Iran. (Huffington post 11/1)
War watch: Increased chatter in the UK and Israel over possible military actions in Iran
Articles appeared today that suggest that the U.K. and Israel might be readying for a military strike against Iran. Haaretz reports that Israeli foreign minister Lieberman, who formerly opposed military action strikes against Iran, is now on board with a future strike against Iran. For the U.K.’s part, the Guardian is reporting that the navy is currently preparing plans for how to best deploy naval assets in the case of a military strike against Iran. (Guardian 11/2) (Haaretz 11/2)
Nasr: Why contain Iran when its own aims will do just that?
In an op-ed by Vali Nasr, he discusses how Iran and its overly ambitious regional aspirations will effectively contain them.  Thus, launching military strikes against Iran is unnecessary, as Iran’s quest for increased regional influence will lead to them replacing the U.S. as the primary target of blame in the region.  For once the U.S. leaves Iraq and Afghanistan,” Iran may come to remember fondly the period when the U.S. military absorbed resentments in the region,” says Nasr.  “Iran is adept at causing security headaches in the region but is untested when it comes to resolving them.” (Bloomberg Business Week 11/1)
Qatar Airways to ply domestic routes in sanctions-hit Iran
Iran is going to allow Qatar Airways to supplement its domestic routes to increase the amount of flights offered and to improve the safety of flying in Iran.  Qatar Airways flights are expected to be as much as 25% more expensive than Iranian airlines, but would be significantly safer than flying on Iran’s aircrafts, which currently have an average of 22.5 years of service. (Iran Green Voice 11/1)
How sanctions held Iran’s government together
Ahmadinejad today was able to use current sanctions against Iran to scare the Iranian parliament in to not  impeaching the current economy minister.  Ahmadinejad’s suggestion that sanctions are having an effect on Iran’s economy were taken seriously enough to have enabled a temporary truce between speaker of parliament Larijani to ensure that the impeachment effort failed. (Middle East Progress 11/2)
Iran, in rant to US, rebuts plot allegations
In a letter delivered to the U.S. through Swiss diplomats, Iran formally rebuked the assassination allegations made by the U.S.  The seven page Iranian letter was called a “rant” by US officials familiar with it, calling U.S. allegations fabrications designed to inflame tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran. (Reuters 11/1)
Saudi Arabia deports Iranian pilgrims
150 Iranian pilgrims, who Saudi Arabia claimed to have entered the country with forged visas, were deported.  There are conflicting claims as to whether or not their travel documents were in fact given by a legitimate visa source or from a “network that issues false visas.” (Radio Free Europe 11/2)
Friedman op-ed: A long list of suckers
Friedman opines in his op-ed that Obama’s decision to remove U.S. troops from Iraq was “the right thing and that Iran’s mullahs will not be the winners [in Iraq].”  Additionally, he points out that Iran’s approval rating is at 14% and that the removal of the authoritarian leaders in the region by the Arab Spring will only serve to further highlight the brutality and objectionable nature of the regime in Tehran.  (New York Times 11/1)
Russia, China may blunt Western pressure on Iran
In an expected upcoming push by the U.S. for new sanctions against Iran, it appears that China and Russia might prove unwilling to support such efforts as they fear “boxing Iran into a corner.”  Evidence for this appears in China and Russia’s reported attempt to delay an upcoming IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear weapons program. (Reuters 11/2)
Iran: Ahmadinejad questioning fails to win majority
Ahmadinejad will no longer be required to face questioning from the Iranian parliament over the recent bank scandal.  This is due to the petition seeking his questioning in the Majles, which had sufficient support yesterday, lost three of its signers and now lacks the required amount of supporters for the petition to take effect. (Huffington Post 11/1)