Let's talk Iran - March 4, 2021
NUCLEAR
Iran giving encouraging signs about resuming nuclear diplomacy - source
Draft IAEA resolution censuring Iran has been postponed. French source tells Reuters: "We have had positive signs this week." Iran has so far refused to take part in informal talks with world powers and the United States on reviving its 2015 nuclear deal. The source added the objective was to get everyone around the able before the start of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, on March 20. LINK
Iran needs to address IAEA's concerns on uranium particles, U.S. says
Iran's regime has had ample time to provide answers to the @iaeaorg. And it has refused. The U.S./EU response? *Let's give Tehran more time.*
This is not diplomacy. This is appeasement. And Iran's regime will take advantage of this weak approach. LINK
Kissinger says Trump, Nixon foreign policies similar, warns Biden on Iran
Kissinger said the progress cemented by Trump with Israel and the Gulf states should not be diluted by the U.S. reaching out with premature talks with Iran
"We should not give up the pressures that exist on Iran until we know where they are heading," he admonished. "If we break out the Iran issue from the overall Middle Eastern issue, we run the risk of losing the two achievements, namely of separating the Palestinian issue, which removes it as a veto over everything else, and the Sunni cooperation with Israel, which is unique in its openness." LINK
Senators grill Biden nominee as proxy for wider Iran-deal debate
“I remain clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to our interests and those of our allies,” Sherman said. “I would note that 2021 is not 2015, when the deal was agreed, nor 2016, when it was implemented. The facts on the ground have changed, the geopolitics of the region have changed, and the way forward must similarly change.” LINK
Biden and Europe allies worry Israel is preparing a substantial attack on Iran
Israel has not yet responded to a suspected Iranian oil spill on its shores in February. The lack of response could be a sign it is preparing a substantial strike against Iran, sources tell Insider. Biden and allies in Europe are worried a revenge attack might scuttle nuclear talks with Iran. LINK
New Revelations on Iran’s Nuclear Program
The February 23, 2021 report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that they found anthropogenic uranium particles at two sites in
Iran, sites that Iran refused to allow IAEA inspectors to access for months. Despite this, Iran has not answered the IAEA’s questions about these findings and IAEA Director Rafael Grossi expressed concerns over this.
One of the two sites is in the Abadeh region where the Marivan project is underway and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) have recently revealed a lot of information about the site. LINK
TERRORISM
U.S. officials believe Iran-backed group responsible for latest rocket attack in Iraq
While the investigation into the attack on Ain al-Asad air base in the western province of Anbar is still ongoing, officials believe that Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed paramilitary force, or an affiliated group was responsible, according to two defense officials familiar with early intelligence. LINK
Iraqi Militia Member: Rockets Used Against US Forces Were Made By Iran
Hours after the rocket attack on the U.S. base in Iraq on March 3, the security office of the Kurdistan region reported that an arrested member of Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada brigade has confessed that the rockets used in the attack were made by Iran. LINK
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim missile hits Saudi oil facility
Yemen’s Houthi rebels said they attacked a Saudi oil facility in the port city of Jiddah on Thursday, the latest in a series of cross-border missile and drone strikes the group has claimed against the kingdom amid the grinding war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s state-owned media did not immediately acknowledge any incident in Jiddah. But overnight, the military coalition the Saudis are leading against the rebels announced that the Houthis had fired two explosives-laden drones toward Khamis Mushait, a southwestern city home to the King Khalid Air Base, and later a ballistic missile toward the southern province of Jizan. There were no immediate reports of casualties. LINK
New attack on Iraqi air base fits profile of Iran-backed militia, U.S. officials say
U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the latest strike fit the profile of an attack by Iran-backed militia but the Pentagon said it was too soon to come to any conclusions.
Last Thursday, U.S. forces carried out air strikes against facilities at a border control point in Syria used by Iranian-backed militias including Kata'ib Hezbollah and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada. LINK
Iranian Terrorists Claim to Have Active Cells in Washington, D.C.
Iran-linked militia groups claim to have active cells of operatives stationed in Washington, D.C., and other U.S. cities. The threat comes as the Biden admin seeks to directly engage Iran in pursuit of inking a revamped nuclear accord. LINK
A Military Strike in Syria Shows Biden Team at Work
The goal was to signal to Iran that the new White House team would respond to a Feb. 15 rocket attack in northern Iraq against the U.S.-led coalition. LINK
HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran: Unlawful killings of destitute fuel porters must be independently investigated
Iran’s IRGC unlawfully used lethal force against unarmed fuel porters near the city of Saravan in Sistan and Baluchestan province on February 22, flagrantly violating the absolute prohibition on the arbitrary deprivation of the right to life under international law. LINK
Iran: State media warn of consequences of suppressing Baluch minorities
“The main problem of Baluchestan and particularly Saravan is that, 42 years after the revolution, we have not been able to provide the people of this region with the credit they deserve and they are not being treated humanely. The Saravan issue was an old wound that opened and the people became aware of the reality of that region.” LINK
Misogynous law in Iran bans ski head coach from leaving with her team
In Iran under the mullahs' regime a man can ban his physician wife from practicing medicine. And, married women who want to take dental residency exams are required to obtain their husbands’ consent. And the U.S./EU continue to appease this regime. LINK
Video report on poultry scarcity in Iran
Long lines for government subsidized poultry have increased in several cities across Iran. Chicken has become scarce and ordinary Iranians can no longer afford poultry. Poultry farmers are shutting down. LINK