Well, it’s been a while, but it has returned!
Safeguards Report – IAEA Board of Governors | “No additional major components have been installed at the IR-40 Reactor; the production of UO2 for fuel assemblies for the reactor has continued at FMP; no additional fuel assemblies have yet been completed.” That’s a win. Although we must not forget this refers to reactor construction, not necessarily enrichment. Nevertheless, even with France’s antics, this news has Mr. Dahl (Reuters), Mr. Richter (LA Times), Mr. Peterson (CSM), and Al Jazeera excited. I wonder how this factors into the tree…(hint: possible follow-up in the future).
Oren Dorell – USA Today | According to an Iranian dissident group, the Islamic Republic has been constructing a secret nuclear site, although it is unclear as to what Iran is actually constructing there. Former Deputy Director-General Olli Heinonen comments:
One of the biggest questions at this point is are these only plans or have the plans already been executed. Are these plans on paper, or plans where someone’s digging a hole somewhere or are they installing machines somewhere? It would be important from the beginning of the negotiating process to know where the centrifuges are, to know if there is another centrifuge site other than Natanz or Fordow, is there a stockpile of centrifuges somewhere or are they enriching somewhere we don’t know.
RT | Iran still seems to be annoyed with France. Javad Zarif stated that France gutted “over half the US draft.” Bibi urges the French to stand strong.
P5+1 Preview – US Dept. of State | The briefing released before the latest round of talks. According to “Senior Administrative Official,” the US was willing to offer “…limited, targeted, and reversible sanctions relief.” We will see if that holds true for the next round, and if Obama will be able to follow through on sanction relief.
Peter Foster – The Telegraph | Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, is confident in an upcoming deal. Michael R. Gordon of The New York Times holds similar sentiments. We now know that Khamenei need not explicitly review the deal, which could expedite the process of acceptance.
Stephen L. Carter – Bloomberg | Mr. Carter disparages any hope that the West has in sealing a deal. He states that Senior Administration Official implied that military action might not even knock out Iran’s nuclear sites. Mar Kirk agrees with Mr. Carter, and urges the West to hold out for a better deal. Bloomberg’s esteemed editors fire back.
Lexington – The Economist | Lexington elaborates on the strained state of Israeli-US relations in the context of the current nuclear talks.
NPR | Apparently, Iran is enlisting the help of modern technology in their diplomatic efforts. The new website nuclearenergy.ir uses a pretty layout to explain Iran’s perspective on its development of nuclear technology.
Michael Crowley – Time | Mr. Crowley reminds us of the importance of finessing discussions about the word “rights.”
Kenneth M Pollack – Boomberg | Mr. Pollack contends that we can learn many of Kennedy’s tactics against the USSR to the current Iranian nuclear situation.
BBC | Iranians have not forgotten the Green Movement.
J. T. Quigley – The Diplomat | Apparently, Kim Jong Un has a double! Maybe we can use him to open up the country, like we did with Wadiya.
We hope you enjoyed this edition of FYRP.