Let's talk Iran - April 4, 2021
NUCLEAR
Iran Rules Out Any Talks With U.S. in Vienna Unless Sanctions Go
“We will have no negotiations with Americans in Vienna, either directly or indirectly,” Iran's Deputy Foreign Ministery Abbas Araghchi said. The remaining parties to the nuclear accord “should persuade the U.S. any way they can” to lift all sanctions the Trump admin imposed before Iran will undo its own breaches of the agreement, he said.
Araghchi also ruled the prospect of a “step-by-step” initiative for lifting sanctions and returning to nuclear deal commitments. “There is but one step; the U.S. must remove all sanctions rebranded, imposed or re-imposed under Mr. Trump,” he said. LINK
On the subject of talks this coming week about the Iranian nuclear deal, Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia had been given assurances that any new deal would be more demanding of Iran when it comes to its ballistic missile capabilities and its support for armed groups in the region. LINK
Israel ‘troubled’ by US position ahead of Iran talks this week
Israeli officials expressed their concerns after US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley gave an interview with PBS on Friday, in which he spoke about a return to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action without any additional elements that would make it “longer and stronger,” as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. LINK
Iran Hopeless About Appeasement
Contradictory remarks by regime officials in Iran and state media indicate a deadlock among the mullahs' apparatus, having no way out of its crisis even if the U.S. returns to the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA). LINK
HUMAN RIGHTS
No news of detained southeast Iran protesters, one month after arrest
Local sources say the regime's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) killed at least 40 of the Baluch fuel carriers were killed, and over 100 were injured and taken to hospitals. LINK
Five city council members sentenced to lashes in Tehran for “economic crimes”
Iran's regime is one of the few states that still uses degrading punishments, even though all international civil and political rights conventions have prohibited the use of inhumane punishments such as execution and flogging. LINK
Iran: Two Baha’i women jailed and five more summoned to serve their sentences
Over the past year at least 26 women were summoned by the regime to security centers or courts for being Baha’is, and 17 Baha’i women were barred from education. LINK
PROTESTS
Iranian pensioners say they “won’t vote” in protests across Iran
Pensioners across Iran held organized protests in over 15 cities across Iran today to demand higher pensions, while announcing they would not take part in the regime's upcoming presidential elections in June. LINK
Iran State-Run Media Warn Officials of A “Social Explosion”
“The skyrocketing prices and livelihood problems are still the Iranian society’s problems. Meanwhile, many sociologists warn about the consequences of people’s improper livelihood and their possible reaction,” a state-run newspaper wrote on Saturday. LINK
