Iran Digest Week of May 7- May 14
/AIC’s Iran digest project covers the latest developments and news stories published in Iranian and international media outlets. This weekly digest is compiled by Communications Associate Elizabeth Kos. Please note that the news and views expressed in the articles below do not necessarily reflect those of AIC.
US-Iran Relations
U.S. Ship Fires Warning Shots in Encounter with Iranian Boats
A U.S. Coast Guard cutter fired two volleys of warning shots Monday as a group of 13 Iranian fast boats sped toward U.S. Navy vessels in the Persian Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz in what the Pentagon called “unsafe and unprofessional” maneuvers by the naval arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
It was the second time in two weeks that a U.S. ship opened fire to warn off vessels of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The encounters come as the United States and Iran are in indirect talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the United States left in 2018.
Asked whether it appeared the Revolutionary Guard are trying to pick a fight with the U.S. Navy, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby declined to comment on the Iranians’ intentions.
(Politico)
Blinken Calls Hezbollah ‘Threat,’ U.S. Blacklists 7 Lebanese Nationals
The United States on Tuesday called on governments worldwide to take action against Lebanon's Iranian-backed militant group Hezbozllah, as the Treasury Department sanctioned seven Lebanese nationals it said were connected to the group and its financial firm, Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH).
"The threat that Hizballah (Hezbollah) poses to the United States, our allies, and interests in the Middle East and globally, calls for countries around the world to take steps to restrict its activities and disrupt its facilitation networks," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on the action against the group, designated a terrorist organization by Washington.
(Reuters)
Nuclear Accord
US Says Iran Talks Will Continue Despite Upheaval in Israel and Palestine
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reaffirmed the Biden administration's plans to move forward with nuclear negotiations with Iran, despite Republican calls to scrap the talks over Tehran's alleged support of the Gaza-based Hamas movement.
A group of 43 Republican Senators sent a letter to Blinken on Wednesday, asking the secretary of state to call off the multilateral nuclear talks in Vienna over Tehran's alleged involvement with Hamas, which governs the Israel-blockaded Gaza Strip.
Blinken, during a joint press conference with his Australian counterpart on Thursday, said he could not confirm that Iran had any involvement in Hamas' most recent actions. But he said that if Tehran did have a hand in supporting the movement then that would only further highlight the importance of the negotiations.
UN Watchdog: Iran Has Enriched Uranium to Highest Purity Yet
Iran has enriched uranium to slightly higher purity than previously thought due to “fluctuations” in the process, the United Nations’ atomic watchdog said Wednesday.
The initial announcement from Iran that it would start enriching to 60% — which is not yet weapon’s grade but its highest purity yet — came just as the talks were to begin in Vienna. International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi reported to member agencies on Tuesday that the latest inspections confirmed Iran continues to enrich uranium at up to 60% purity in its Natanz plant.
Additionally, samples taken April 22 “showed an enrichment level of up to 63% ... consistent with fluctuations of the enrichment levels experienced in the mode of production at that time,” the IAEA said.
COVID-19
COVID-Stricken Iran to Ban Local Travel Ahead of Eid al-Fitr
As Iranian authorities hope the country could soon overcome a fourth major wave of COVID-19 infections, local travel has been banned during days leading to religious holidays to mark the end of Ramadan.
Eid al-Fitr, which is celebrated by Muslims worldwide, will be marked by Iranians on Wednesday and Thursday, and Friday is a weekend in the country. Millions usually travel during the long holidays.
Alireza Raeisi, spokesman of the national anti-coronavirus headquarters, said on Saturday that travelling to all cities will be banned from 2pm local time on Tuesday, and the ban will continue until next Saturday at noon.
Inside Iran
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Said the Next Administration in Iran Could Utilize “Revolutionary and Pious Youth”
IIn his first address as the registration process for Iran’s presidential election kicked off, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outlined desirable traits of the next administration in Iran.
In the televised address, Khamenei clarified previous remarks he had made about the next administration being “young.” He said that he did not mean a Cabinet made up of people in their low- to mid-30s and that it was important to learn from individuals who have more experience. He said that in each Cabinet, there are hundreds of managerial positions that could utilize “revolutionary and pious youth.”
Khamenei’s recognition of the need to bring in a younger generation of administrative staff working under more experienced ministers is in line with his Second Step of the Revolution, which is based on a statement made in 2019. The presidential Cabinet oversees a sprawling bureaucracy and installing younger individuals who are committed to the revolutionary ideals would create a new managerial class in the country.
Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Registers to Run for President – Again
Controversial former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once more signed up to become Iran’s next president, but the anticipated top candidates for the June election have yet to register.
The ultraconservative, who was president from 2005 to 2013, tried to run again in 2017 but was disqualified by the Guardian Council – a constitutional vetting body comprised of six clerics and six legal experts.
Observers say that the divisive figure, who still has followers among some portions of the Iranian population, will likely be disqualified again.
Regional Politics
Iran Asks Saudi Arabia to Help Sell its Oil in Iraq Talks
IIran has asked Saudi Arabia to help sell its oil and circumvent US sanctions in exchange for limiting Houthi attacks on the kingdom’s oil facilities, Iraqi officials familiar with negotiations taking place in Baghdad have told Middle East Eye.
Their goal, one official told MEE, is “to end the state of conflict and incitement waged by the institutions associated with both countries at all levels".
Iraqi sources say the war in Yemen remains the most discussed topic on the table and was the focus of a four-hour conversation during last week’s talks
EU Companies Could Face Legal Action Over Iran Contracts
European companies doing business with Iran could face legal troubles if they have terminated their contracts with Iranian banks or firms solely because of fears about possible U.S. sanctions, according to a legal opinion handed down Wednesday by a top EU court advisor.
In Wednesday’s legal opinion, Advocate General Gerard Hogan said that European companies should justify why they are cutting business ties with Iranian banks and enterprises to prove they aren’t simply caving in under the threat of U.S. sanctions.
Analysis
U.S. and Iran Want to Restore the Nuclear Deal. They Disagree Deeply on What That Means
By: Steven Erlanger and David E. Sanger
President Biden and Iran’s leaders say they share a common goal: They both want to re-enter the nuclear deal that President Donald J. Trump scrapped three years ago, restoring the bargain that Iran would keep sharp limits on its production of nuclear fuel in return for a lifting of sanctions that have choked its economy.
But after five weeks of shadow boxing in Vienna hotel rooms — where the two sides pass notes through European intermediaries — it has become clear that the old deal, strictly defined, does not work for either of them anymore, at least in the long run.
Iran and the United States “are really negotiating different deals,” said Vali R. Nasr, a former American official who is now at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. “It’s why the talks are so slow.”
