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  1. #26
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    US, Iran edging back to negotiating table

    February 22, 2021 by M. K. BHADRAKUMAR

    "The frozen lake of US-Iran confrontation is generating a pinging sound. The cracking of the ice is yet to produce that loud booming thunderclap. But these are early days. It was only last Thursday that the US and the three European states who are party to the JCPOA (2015 Iran nuclear deal) — Germany, France and UK, or the ‘E3’ — lobbed a joint statement across the court to Tehran, whereby the Joe Biden Administration announced its willingness to return to diplomacy with Iran.

    It was an opening move, where the Biden administration merely reiterated its position that it will return to the JCPOA if Tehran returns to strict compliance with it. The E3 and the US seek to strengthen the JCPOA to address broader security concerns related to Iran. But certain other moves went along with it on the same day:

    • Washington expressed its acceptance of an invitation from the European Union High Representative to attend a meeting of the so-called P5+1 countries – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States – with Iran for an informal ‘diplomatic conversation’ to chart a way forward;
    • The Biden administration rescinded the Trump administration’s decision in September 2020 to invoke “snapback sanctions” worldwide at the United Nations—a provision under Security Council Resolution 2231 – that was earlier rejected by the other 14 members of the council; and,
    • The Biden administration also informed Iran’s UN Mission in New York that it had removed Trump’s travel restrictions on its diplomats in New York, which allows them now to move anywhere within a 25-mile radius of the UN Hqs. Some Iranian officials also may be allowed to travel to the UN.

    A conversation between US and Iranian diplomats in an informal setting certainly serves a purpose insofar as it is a follow-up on an idea floated by Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif during an interview with the CNN on February 1 that the EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell could assume the role of coordinator and create a mechanism to choreograph the steps to be taken simultaneously by both Iran and the US sides to achieve JCPOA reinstatement.

    By Saturday, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, the country’s chief nuclear negotiator, was on record that Tehran too is considering the proposition from Brussels and would “respond to this proposal [on informal meeting] in the future.”

    Now, it it easy to see that the retraction on the “snapback sanctions” and the removal of restrictions on Iranian diplomats are necessary pre-requisites of a US-Iranian engagement.

    Meanwhile, on Friday, Biden said at the virtual Munich Security Conference that the US is driven to “reengage in negotiations” to revive the JCPOA. He added a positive note, “We need transparency and communication to minimise the rise of strategic misunderstanding or mistakes.”

    On Sunday, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the US has started talks with Iran over the return of at least five American hostages whom Tehran is holding. “We have begun to communicate with the Iranians on this issue,” Sullivan said.

    On Sunday, again, Rafael Grossi, the head of the IAEA, met with Iranian officials in Tehran to try to maintain his inspectors’ ability to monitor Tehran’s nuclear program. After the talks, a joint statement was issued, which suggests that “a temporary bilateral technical understanding” has been reached for a 3-month period ahead to continue necessary verification and monitoring activities.

    But the deal also calls for less access for IAEA inspectors and no more snap inspections. That is to say, Iran is sticking to its stance that unless the US lifted the sanctions, it will soon abandon the Additional Protocol of the JCPOA, but is only partially curbing the inspectors’ activity at this point.

    Broadly, both the US and Iran are slowly but steadily edging back to the negotiating table. Both want the other party to go first, and neither would allow perceptions of weakness to form or that they’re acting under pressure. It’s a delicate tango where both are also compromising while appearing to be otherwise.

    The Sunday Times newspaper carried a sensational report yesterday quoting a national security source that the US is considering sanctions relief for Iran as a first step towards reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. If so, Washington is about to make the first move on the expectation that Tehran would reciprocate with some significant compromises.

    “Sanctions relief is definitely coming, not today or tomorrow but it is coming,” Sunday Times quoted its source. But the catch is that Iran can return to the JCPOA by ceasing to enrich uranium over the limit set by the deal, exporting most of its stockpile, and warehousing banned centrifuges. Whereas, the Biden administration has far more difficult path to traverse by way of untangling scores of Trump-era financial, economic, trade, targeted personal and business sanctions and lift those that violate the JCPOA.

    One possibility is that the Biden Administration may move in this direction after the ‘diplomatic conversation’ that the EU foreign policy chief is facilitating. In Tehran’s estimation, the lifting of US sanctions is now a foregone conclusion, only a matter of time. There is much optimism that the White House will not allow any interference by the US’ regional allies.

    A commentary in Iran’s official news agency IRNA draws satisfaction that President Biden “gave a cold shoulder” to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and has not forgotten the latter’s defiant behaviour toward President Obama by attending a congressional hearing in Washington without being invited by the administration and criticising the administration’s negotiations with Iran. It had “angered the then Vice President Joe Biden who shouted that no authority in Israel has right to humiliate US president. Netanyahu has been advised to avoid direct confrontation with Biden administration.”

    Again, there is talk that the White House intends to release a redacted version of the CIA report on the brutal killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the consulate in Istanbul in 2018. If the report holds the Saudi Crown Prince as culpable for the murder, it will rock the US-Saudi relations. Biden has made his aversion toward the Crown Prince known by letting it be known that he will only interact with King Salman.

    Clearly, there is a profound sense of unease in Saudi Arabia and the UAE over the Biden administration’s decision to engage with Iran. Conceivably, Tehran senses that a historic moment is at hand marking the end of the US’ decades-old strategy to encircle Iran with an alliance of the Gulf Arab states and Israel.

    As the situation around Iran begins to transform through the coming weeks and months, the West Asian politics and the regional security scenario will change beyond recognition. The Western powers are for the first time talking about the imperative need of reconciliation between and amongst the regional states of the Persian Gulf instead of fuelling the regional rifts and capitalise on them.

    In their statement of February 18, the US and E3 “expressed their joint determination to work toward de-escalating tensions in the Gulf region.”

    By force of circumstances, the Western powers are appropriating an idea that Russia and China have been expounding all along."


    https://www.indianpunchline.com/us-i...tiating-table/
    A tray full of GOLD is not worth a moment in time.

  2. #27
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    Klondyke's Avatar
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    Quite a clear language (without a strong rhetoric) of the man who we heard years before (e.g. in NYC) when he was at helm...

    One on One - Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

    Interview of the Turkish intl. broadcaster

    One on One - Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - TRT World


  3. #28
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Conceivably, Tehran senses that a historic moment is at hand marking the end of the US’ decades-old strategy to encircle Iran with an alliance of the Gulf Arab states and Israel.
    I take it this dumb fucking Indian doesn't know that the Gulf and Israel are buddies now.


  4. #29
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    I take it this dumb fucking Indian doesn't know that the Gulf and Israel are buddies now.
    Obviously he does, do you have a different interpretation of alliance?

    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    an alliance of the Gulf Arab states and Israel.

  5. #30
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Republicans introduce bill opposing lifting Iran sanctions

    US lawmakers say Biden must maintain sanctions until Iran 'ends its support for violence and terror around the region'

    Published date: 25 February 2021 22:05 UTC

    "Republican Senator Tom Cotton and more than 40 other lawmakers have introduced bicameral legislation that opposes the lifting of sanctions on Iran, highlighting partisan disapproval of President Joe Biden's calls to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. The resolution, which was led by Cotton in the Senate and Congressman Mike Gallagher in the House, "rejects and opposes the reapplication of sanctions relief, including the use of waivers, de-listing individuals or entities".

    It also opposes reversing the finding that Iran is a jurisdiction of "primary money laundering" and reversing a ban that keeps Iran from accessing the US financial system.


    In addition to being led by Cotton and Gallagher, it was co-sponsored by 25 Republican senators, and 19 Republican members of the House of Representatives.


    "The United States must maintain sanctions on the Iranian regime until it abandons its nuclear ambitions and ends its support for violence and terror around the region," the bill's sponsors said in a statement on Thursday.

    "Iran took advantage of weak policies during the Obama Administration, and President Biden must not repeat those same mistakes."

    The bill, however, is unlikely to pass, with a Democrat majority in both houses.

    The introduction of the resolution comes as Biden has said he would seek a return to the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), if Tehran also restores its compliance with the pact.

    The agreement, which former President Donald Trump backed out of in 2018, saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of heavy sanctions against its economy.

    After departing from the accord, Trump reimposed comprehensive sanctions on Tehran.
    Washington and Tehran are currently at an impasse, with the Biden administration wanting Iran to fully adhere to the agreement before sanctions are lifted, and Tehran arguing that Washington must comply with the deal first - as it was the party which left the pact.

    Earlier this month, more than 100 Democratic and Republican House lawmakers sent a letter to Biden calling on the president to hold the Iranian government accountable for human rights violations and its alleged destabilising activities in the Middle East."


    https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/r...sanctions-iran

  6. #31
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Well they would, wouldn't they?

    Earlier this month, more than 100 Democratic and Republican House lawmakers sent a letter to Biden calling on the president to hold the Iranian government accountable for human rights violations
    They appear to have omitted Mohammed Bin Bonesaw....

  7. #32
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Iran pushes back at US overreach on nuclear issue

    March 1, 2021 by M. K. BHADRAKUMAR

    "
    Tehran rejected on Sunday a pending proposal from the European Union to arrange a “diplomatic conversation” with the US. But the Iranian statement in this regard is rather nuanced. Speaking to reporters in Tehran on Sunday, foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh stated:

    “In view of the recent stances and measures taken by the United States and the three European countries [who are signatories to the JCPOA], the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that this is not a good time for holding an unofficial meeting on the accord as proposed by the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.”

    Khatibzadeh added, “The way forward is quite clear. The US must end its illegal and unilateral sanctions and return to its JCPOA commitments. This issue neither needs negotiation, nor a resolution by the Board of Governors [of the International Atomic Energy Agency]. The Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to actions with action and just in the same way that it will return to its JCPOA commitments as sanctions are removed, it will also answer in kind to all hostile measures and behaviour.”

    Plainly put, this may well become another goof-up by the Joe Biden Administration in its Gulf policy on top of the screw-up of the seven decade old US-Saudi alliance. Biden administration should have known that Tehran would never talk directly with the US as long as Washington maintained its current level of sanctions. President Trump bullied Iran for three years and failed.

    Curiously, instead of offering any sanctions relief, Biden mounted the high horse, insisting that Iran should first return to the JCPOA and not the US — although Trump’s pullout in 2018 only had precipitated the entire sequence of developments resulting in the current impasse. Biden shouldn’t have started such a petty squabble, considering the high stakes involved.

    Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken rallied the E3 signatories to the JCPOA (UK, France and Germany) to harmonise with the US stance on the Iran issue and a joint statement was issued which made a litany of demands on Iran. Blinken apparently assumes that Tehran is desperate to talk anyway.

    The White House simultaneously began consulting Israel, despite the fact that the latter’s stance that Biden ought to pick up the threads of his predecessor’s maximum pressure strategy and simply double down. According to reports, US and Israel will cooperate within a mechanism at the level of the two National Security Advisors to exchange views, coordinate and navigate the Iran issue.

    Furthermore, Biden embarked on a bizarre air strike in Syria last Thursday night and went on to brag that he was giving a warning to Iran. As he put it, “You can’t act with impunity. Be careful.” A flexing of muscle at this delicate moment was avoidable. Ironically, Biden’s own party has denounced Trump’s similar air strikes in the past without Congress’s authorisation.

    Above all, Blinken persuaded the E3 to move the Board of Governors of the IAEA to censure Iran for its decision to suspend the Additional Protocol of the JCPOA (which was in the first instance a voluntary provision.)

    The US diplomats have circulated a document on Thursday which listed Washington’s grievances and ordered Iran to fully cooperate with inspectors. The proposed censure suggests the US is ratcheting up the pressure. The E3 resolution would “underscore strong concern at the IAEA’s findings” and “express the board’s deepening concern with respect to Iran’s cooperation.”

    Indeed, it is likely that Israel is once again pulling strings from behind the scene and feeding the White House NSA Jake Sullivan with doctored intelligence. Equally, Biden could be deliberately dragging his feet and grandstanding with a view to score political points with Republicans, Saudis, or Israelis.

    At any rate, the momentum is getting lost with each passing day. Trust the Israel-Saudi-UAE axis to now step up efforts to thwart any US-Iran talks. Riyadh is seething with fury after the humiliation suffered over the CIA report on Jamal Khashoggi. Biden also needs to be mindful of the mood in the Congress where he has important business to transact in the coming days and weeks — Covid-19 relief package to begin with.

    On top of all this, the US has ratcheted up tensions also with Russia whose help is vital to moderate Iran’s stance. (here, here, here and here) Evidently, the left hand doesn’t know what the right hand wants.
    A flashpoint is arising. Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to international organisations in Vienna, said in a tweet on Sunday, “IAEA BoG session will start tomorrow [March 1]. It can predetermine further developments around the Iranian nuclear program, as well as prospects of full restoration of JCPOA. All Governors need to keep this in mind and exercise responsible approach.”

    Iran sent a letter to the IAEA warning it may stop its cooperation with the UN watchdog altogether if it adopts the resolution in Vienna. Belatedly, Biden team seems to get the point that it overreached and has precipitated a grave situation.
    A White House spokeswoman told Reuters Sunday no sooner than word came from Tehran on its rejection of talks, “While we are disappointed at Iran’s response, we remain ready to reengage in meaningful diplomacy to achieve a mutual return to compliance with JCPOA commitments.”

    These are conciliatory words, but it is difficult to see how the US and E3 could walk back from their threatened IAEA censure without a serious loss of face. It is going to be even harder now for Biden to do what should have been the natural thing to do, namely, remove some of the sanctions against Iran."

    https://www.indianpunchline.com/iran...nuclear-issue/

  8. #33
    Thailand Expat Backspin's Avatar
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    WATCH Iranian missiles rain on US base in Iraq following Soleimani assassination in newly declassified VIDEO — RT USA News

    WATCH Iranian missiles rain on US base in Iraq following Soleimani assassination in newly declassified VIDEO




  9. #34
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    Iran pushes back at US overreach on nuclear issue
    Good, seems the negotiations are underway then.

  10. #35
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    negotiations are underway
    negotiation


    noun [ C or U ]


    the process of discussing something with someone in order to reach an agreement with them, or the discussions themselves:


    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    “In view of the recent stances and measures taken by the United States and the three European countries [who are signatories to the JCPOA], the Islamic Republic of Iran believes that this is not a good time for holding an unofficial meeting on the accord as proposed by the EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.”
    The offer of a meeting to discuss ..... declined.

    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    This issue neither needs negotiation, nor a resolution by the Board of Governors [of the International Atomic Energy Agency].
    A statement. No requirement for negotiations.

    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    The Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to actions with action and just in the same way that it will return to its JCPOA commitments as sanctions are removed,
    A statement. They will respond ....

    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    it will also answer in kind to all hostile measures and behaviour.”
    A statement. They will respond .....

    No 'arry, no negotiations. Read the Iranian roadmap statements.

  11. #36
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Has Israel Been Out-foxed?

    Alastair Crooke March 1, 2021

    "Reactivating the JCPOA has drawn some unexpected advocates – top Israeli security officials wanting to pull Iran back into the JCPOA.A top Russian official, last weekend, said something which pinpoints the times we are living today. It may seem a throwaway remark, but behind it, just out of sight, lies something profound. He said that the JCPOA, (for very many, and not just for Iran), had become the prime symbol of how the rules-based global order is used precisely to squeeze-out a peoples’ sovereignty and autonomy – and to Gulliverise them into its Siamese twin, the rules-based monetary order.

    At first brush, such a comment might seem a bit exaggerated, even hostile – for surely the intent to prevent proliferation of nuclear weapons by the U.S. is a laudable aim?


    Ostensibly that may be seem the objective (and one shared by Russia). But it is also true that the JCPOA methodology fits to a particular pattern: Unilaterally declare a certain vision, together with its values, to be Universal, then lay down the ‘rules-of-the-road’ to this universal. These rules will not necessarily comport with international law, but then, in line with Carl Schmitt’s infamous phrase, “Sovereign is he who decides the exception (to law)”, and since universality takes itself to be a distinct cut-above backward, nationalist civilisations, in that measure alone, it claims exceptionality. And the rules-based ‘order’, on this reckoning, must supersede and supplant ‘law’.


    In the case of Iran, the superimposed ‘universal’ rules-of-the road were intended to supplant Iran’s NPT legal rights: to walk-back the Revolutionary impulse in Iran; drain its residue of radicalism through the drudgery of complying with tedious JCPOA rules; and ultimately force Iran’s assimilation into the global monetary governance too.


    Ok, nothing new – standard western procedure. Yet, those comments on how the JCPOA has become the icon on how to leach sovereignty from the blood of a nation speaks to a bigger shift affecting both Russia and Iran. They speak to a conversation in much of the world almost unimaginable within DC Beltway discourse.


    Even five years ago, many in Russia believed that the state should at least have one ‘feeler’ dipped in the living waters of western ‘can do’ dynamism. This was required (even at some cost to Russian sovereignty), because of western technology, finance and know-how. Then came Putin’s 2007 speech at the Munich Security Conference – a key inflection point. ‘Russia is under attack from the West. We accept the challenge, and will prevail over it’.


    Russia’s 2007 insight was that the waters of the western spring-well of dynamism were becoming stagnant. In Davos last month, Putin suggested that the well-water was not just stagnant, but now contaminated. The western project had become stultified by the rigging of the entire system to the benefit of the 0.1%.


    The EU as an entity is cut from the same ‘universalist rules-of-the road’ cloth as the progenitor U.S. project (though marketed, in this instance, as European universal commons). But European waters similarly stagnate. The Russian leadership understood that Greater Europe will never ‘be’. More importantly, Russia has found that it can muster the cultural ‘energy’, from within its own resources, to innovate and develop the Russian nation.


    Many Iranians have come to similar conclusion about Iran. When once most – maybe 80% – of Iranians would have wanted a feeler dipped into the well of western technical dynamism, today few want it. The danger to their own society of too close contact with stagnant water is obvious. Like Russia, they are focussed on finding the inner energy from within their own resources and utilising the assets available to them. And discovering that those assets may be as present in Asia, as they once were in Europe.


    This is the ‘other’ conversation. Apart from the noisy narratives emanating out from the Beltway closed circuit on Iran, this alternative discussion – and Putin’s careful framing of it – is ‘out there’, widely dissected in much of the world. But it will not be heard in Washington. Biden in his Munich presentation, painted Russia as some sort of voodoo figure, uttering incantations damaging to the U.S. It was intended to imply that any person criticising America along similar lines, must therefore be a Russian agent – a traitor. Russia has become the voodoo doll to be held aloft, to frighten the American public, and to discipline public discourse.


    How is it, with Iran at the very cusp, like Russia, of a possible de-coupling from Europe, that reactivating the JCPOA has drawn some unexpected advocates – current and former top Israeli security officials wanting to pull Iran back into the JCPOA.


    What is going on? A rebellion against Netanyahu’s forever maximum-pressure line? Even more interesting is that a number of these top Israeli security officials are arguing for a ‘vanilla’ return to JCPOA (i.e. no “playing across the entire field”) – as Ben Caspit explains, “a team of particularly senior [Israeli] experts has concluded that contrary to the position of most top members of the Netanyahu-Gantz government, the agreement with Iran should not include Tehran’s missile program or its regional activities” [emphasis added].

    Is this the ultimate paradox? At the very moment when Iranian scepticism threatens to prevail, Israeli scepticism should wane? Maybe they will walk past each other, without meeting, and nothing will result.

    These former senior Israeli officials are now suggesting that the JCPOA was not really so bad, after all: “When the [JCPOA] deal arrived”, explains former Israeli Northern Command Maj. Gen. (res.) Yair Golan now, “we held a discussion with all the officials and said to ourselves that if Iran complied with it, it would be an amazing achievement”.


    Or, maybe it is about the ‘dark secret’ that no one wants to discuss publicly – namely, that Israel has been out-foxed. Whilst all the world has been obsessing about the ‘Big One’ (the nuclear weapon prospect), and whether or not, Trump’s max-pressure would induce compliance with JCPOA, Iran has been preparing – not the Big One – but lots and lots of ‘Little Ones’.


    Israel is now surrounded by thousands of earth-hugging, smart cruise missiles, and swarm-capable, attack drones. The nuclear weapon was always a red-herring (the Middle East being too small and dense for nukes to make any sense). The edge of war, on whose borders Netanyahu loves to dance, is just too grave a risk – possibly – for these Israeli former security officials to contemplate any further.


    They know (unlike Blinken it would seem), that Iran will never put its missiles on any negotiating table. Perhaps these Israeli security leaders are realists – and see a ‘vanilla’ return as the only way ahead. They are probably right on that.


    But why advocate an Iranian return to the JCPOA? Well, Iran’s and America’s full return to JCPOA might lead to the emergence of a Gulf security architecture that includes Iran (but not Israel – obviously). And that this architecture might facilitate Iran’s smart missile deterrence receding further into the background.


    Might this be a path for Israel to de-escalate with Iran – to walk back from Netanyahu’s dangerous war brinkmanship? Maybe.


    But would the doctrinaire U.S. hawks ever concur? They still long for Revolutionary Iran somehow to be given its come-uppance.

    And will Iranians ever again trust Washington? (Probably not.)"

    https://www.strategic-culture.org/ne...een-out-foxed/

  12. #37
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    negotiation

    blahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahbl ahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblahblah
    You don't have a fucking clue how these things work, do you hoohoo?


  13. #38
    Thailand Expat lom's Avatar
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    ^^ more crap from the extremely right-wing Russian troll-factory

  14. #39
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    In Davos last month, Putin suggested that the well-water was not just stagnant, but now contaminated. The western project had become stultified by the rigging of the entire system to the benefit of the 0.1%.
    I can understand his concern, when he believes it should be more like the 0.0001%


  15. #40
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    BTW, quite strange question - for some quite unusual: Why the huge concern about the nuclear equipment of Iran (similar concern as it was with Saddam's Iraq - nowadays no longer)?

    Aren't many "others" perfectly furnished with much more developed nuclear equipment? Or is it so that from these "others" we do not expect such a danger for the world as from Iran? (Just curious...)

  16. #41
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Ayatollah Khamenei calls on U.S. to lift all sanctions

    March 21, 2021 - 19:57

    "“Americans must remove all sanctions and then we will verify. If [the sanctions] are removed in the true sense of the word, we will return to our JCPOA commitments without any problem. This is [our] definite policy,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, referring to the nuclear deal by its acronym.

    The Leader made the remarks in his annual speech on the occasion of the Persian New Year on Sunday.
    He said this policy is agreed upon by all Iranian officials and is not going to be changed. The Leader addressed the current state of play between Iran and the U.S. and the situation around the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

    He pointed out that the so-called “maximum pressure” policy adopted by former U.S. President Donald Trump toward Iran after leaving the JCPOA has totally failed.
    “The previous fool had designed the ‘maximum pressure’ [policy] in order to corner Iran and take Iran to the negotiating table and impose his arrogant demands on a [presumably] ‘weak’ Iran. However, he disappeared [from the political scene] in such a way that both himself and his country were disgraced while the Islamic Iran is standing fast and proud,” the Leader said.

    Ayatollah Khamenei responded to some claims that the situation around the JCPOA has changed and that the U.S. return to the nuclear deal may require new negotiations. He said the situation has changed but not in favor of the U.S.
    “Yes, conditions are now different from what they were [during Iranian calendar years 13]95 and 96; however, they have not changed in favor of the United States, but in our favor. Iran has become much stronger since 94 (2015). Therefore, if the JCPOA is going to change, it must be in Iran’s favor,” the Leader said.

    “You have been facing increasing problems and the fate of this new [U.S.] president is not clear either. We are in no hurry. Yes, we also believe that opportunities must be taken advantage of, but we will show no hurry because in some cases its risks outweigh the benefits. We acted hastily on the JCPOA,” Ayatollah Khamenei noted.

    He also addressed the impact of the U.S. economic sanctions on Iran, saying the sanctions caused Iran to reduce dependence on others.


    Although the U.S. economic sanctions were a crime against the Iranian nation, they caused Iran to reduce dependence on other countries,” the Leader emphasized, adding that the Iranian youth have already managed to turn sanctions into an opportunity, by taking steps and producing needed goods inside the country.
    “Sanctions turned into a lesson for us as they prompted us to find a way to thwart the impact of economic bans,” he continued.

    The Leader’s New Year speech came one day after he issued a message marking the end of the Iranian calendar year of 1399.
    On Saturday, he congratulated the Iranian people on the occasion of the Persian New Year, calling on the government and the nation to support production and remove obstacles in this regard.In his message, the Leader named the New Year the year of “Production: Support and the Elimination of Obstacles.”“I have chosen this slogan for this year: ‘Production: support and the elimination of obstacles.’

    This is the slogan: ‘Production: support and the elimination of obstacles.’ We should give a pivotal role to production, offer the necessary support and eliminate the obstacles,” the Leader said, according to Khamenei.ir."


    Ayatollah Khamenei calls on U.S. to lift all sanctions - Tehran Times

  17. #42
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Yes, all part of the negotiation process HooHoo.

    Haven't you worked it out yet?

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    Yes, all part of the negotiation process
    The imposed sanctions are "part of the negotiation process" - anybody can impose, can't he?

    Similarly as the Haute Couture of Diplomacy (as shown in Alaska):

    -Months ago you say about your guests they are the biggest security thread (for the whole world)

    -The day before the guest arrive to the "friendly" talks, impose sanctions on their colleagues...

  19. #44
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    US welcomes EU-led meeting between Iran, world powers

    Xinhua | Updated: 2021-04-02 09:13

    "US Department of State said on Thursday that it welcomes the EU-led virtual meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) scheduled on Friday. "We obviously welcome this as a positive step," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters during a press briefing.

    "We have been clear for weeks now that we are ready to pursue a return to compliance with our JCPOA commitments, consistent with Iran also doing the same," said Price.

    He noted that Washington talked with partners about the best way to achieve this objective, including through a series of initial mutual steps.

    The European Union said in a statement earlier in the day that representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain, and Iran will meet virtually on April 2 to discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal.

    The United States and Iran are in a standoff over reviving the nuclear deal. The Joe Biden administration said that if Iran returns to full compliance with the JCPOA, the United States would do the same. But Iran insisted its compliance would only take place once US sanctions were removed.

    Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday criticized Washington for the delay in re-embracing its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, according to the state TV.


    "This would mean a win-win bargain for the region and the entire world, which would benefit them. The Americans were not able to understand that, and they have failed to seize this golden opportunity," Rouhani said.

    US media earlier this week reported that the Biden administration planned to put forth a new proposal for Tehran as soon as this week to break the deadlock.

    Citing people familiar with the matter, Politico said in a Monday piece that the proposal asks Iran to halt some of its nuclear activities in exchange for some relief from US economic sanctions.

    Washington withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 and tightened sanctions on Iran under former President Donald Trump. In response to the US moves, Iran suspended the implementation of parts of its obligations under the deal."


    US welcomes EU-led meeting between Iran, world powers - World - Chinadaily.com.cn

  20. #45
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Translation: The negotations are still going on.

  21. #46
    Thailand Expat OhOh's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    that representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain, and Iran will meet virtually on April 2 to discuss the prospect
    Quote Originally Posted by harrybarracuda View Post
    The negotations are still going on
    Not with ameristan.

  22. #47
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by OhOh View Post
    Not with ameristan.
    And that perfectly illustrates how fucking dumb you are.


  23. #48
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    Iran rules out any gradual lifting of sanctions

    April 3, 2021 - 21:14

    "As has been clearly stated many times, no step-by-step plan is being considered,” Khatibzadeh told Press TV on Saturday. Khatibzadeh reiterated the position of Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, underlining the need for the U.S. to lift all sanctions. “The definitive policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the lifting of all U.S. sanctions, whether those which Trump reimposed after withdrawing from the JCPOA or those which he initiated, as well as sanctions imposed under any other heading,” the spokesman said.

    The Leader laid out Iran’s policy on the nuclear deal -officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)- in a recent speech delivered on the occasion of the Persian New Year.


    He outlined a process in which the U.S. should lift all sanctions first in order for Iran to fully resume implementing the JCPOA.
    “This policy is that the Americans should lift all sanctions. After that, we will verify. If the sanctions have been lifted, we will return to our Barjam [JCPOA] commitments. We will return without any problem. This is a definite policy.

    We do not consider American promises to be valid. If they say that they will lift them on paper, this is of no use. What is necessary is action!

    They should lift the sanctions in practice. Subsequently, we will verify their statements to make sure that the sanctions have been lifted. Then, we will resume our commitments,” the Leader said on March 21.

    Ayatollah Khamenei reiterated that “this policy will not be violated in any way.

    The spokesman’s remarks came in response to claims made by U.S. State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter about a planned meeting by representatives of Iran and other countries in Vienna Tuesday to discuss the troubled 2015 nuclear deal.Porter said Friday that the discussion would focus on “the nuclear steps that Iran would need to take in order to return to compliance with the terms of the JCPOA.”

    In the talks, American officials would be down the hall while British, German, French, Chinese and Russian officials meet with Iran.
    And that would be joined with discussion of “the sanctions relief steps that the United States would need to take in order to return to compliance, as well,” Porter said, an acknowledgment that the United States is currently in violation of the accord.

    The Tuesday meeting seems was arranged during the Friday meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, which was held virtually.
    The meeting, chaired by one of the European Union’s top diplomats Enrique Mora, was attended by representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran at the level of deputy foreign ministers and political directors.

    Under the terms of the JCPOA, the Joint Commission is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the agreement.
    During the meeting, participants discussed the prospect of a U.S. return to the JCPOA, according to a statement issued by the Iranian Foreign Ministry after the meeting.

    “In line with the joint ministerial statement of 21 December, participants recognized the prospect of a full return of the U.S. to the JCPOA, and underlined their readiness to positively address this in a joint effort,” the statement said.


    Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi represented Iran in the meeting. He elaborated on Iran’s principled policies, and said the removal of U.S. sanctions is the first step to revive the JCPOA.


    “Iran will stop its remedial nuclear measures immediately after it verifies the lifting of sanctions,” he said.


    The Iranian diplomat pointed out that there is no need for any negotiation for the United States’ return to the JCPOA, as it is totally clear how the U.S. can return.
    “The United States can get back to the deal and put an end to law-breaking in the same way as it left the JCPOA and imposed unlawful sanctions against Iran,” Araghchi stated.

    During the meeting, the JCPOA parties also highlighted the disastrous impacts of the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA on Iran’s ability to reap the benefits of the deal, and stressed that time should not be wasted at this juncture.
    In the meeting, the JCPOA member states emphasized their commitment to preserving the deal, and agreed to resume the Joint Commission session in Vienna next week, in order to continue consultations and clearly identify sanctions lifting and nuclear implementation measures, including through convening meetings of the relevant expert groups.

    The chair of the meeting also issued a similar statement saying that the JCPOA coordinator will also intensify separate contacts in Vienna with all JCPOA participants and the United States.


    This part of the European statement sparked a wave of speculations over a possible meeting between Iran and the U.S. in Vienna. Western news media reported that Iran and the U.S. will meet in Vienna, a claim that was quickly rejected by Iran.
    Araghchi denied reports about the U.S.’s participation in the upcoming meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission in Vienna.

    “The Vienna meeting which will be attended by the Iranian delegation is a meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission aimed at discussing the U.S. possible return to the nuclear deal, and will be attended only by the current parties to the JCPOA,” Araqchi said in a statement on Friday.
    “The U.S. will not be present at any meeting attended by Iran, including the meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, and that is definite,” he added.He said it is up to other JCPOA parties if they would like to hold bilateral or multilateral consultations with the U.S. regarding the measures it must take, either in Vienna or in any other place.

    “That is something which has happened before,” Araghchi said.
    “The Iranian delegation, however, will not hold negotiations with the American delegation at any level,” he emphasized.Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also ruled out any prospect for a meeting between Iran and the U.S.

    “At virtual JCPOA JC meeting, Iran & EU/E3+2 agreed to resume in-person talks in Vienna next Tues. Aim: Rapidly finalize sanction-lifting & nuclear measures for choreographed removal of all sanctions, followed by Iran ceasing remedial measures. No Iran-US meeting. Unnecessary,” the chief Iranian diplomat tweeted on Friday.


    Iran has so far ruled out at least two things: Negotiations over a possible U.S. return to the JCPOA and the resumption of Iran’s compliance with the deal without the lifting of the U.S. sanctions.
    Iran has said there is no need for new negotiations over the U.S. return to the nuclear deal. Moreover, Iran has made it clear that any step by Iran to resume full compliance with the JCPOA would require the U.S. to lift all sanctions first.

    Following the Friday meeting of the JCPOA Joint Commission, an informed source told Press TV that the only way the United States could see Iran stop its counter-measures under the 2015 nuclear deal is for Washington to lift all the sanctions it imposed on the Islamic Republic in the aftermath of its withdrawal from the agreement some three years ago.The source referred to the negotiations earlier on Friday within the framework of the joint commission of the parties to the deal and said Iran, during the session, emphasized the necessity of a “consistent removal” of all the U.S. sanctions and its verification before Tehran’s return to full compliance.The source added that Iran will accept nothing from the JCPOA Joint Commission but the removal of all the sanctions by the United States.

    According to the source, in Friday’s meeting, the consensus in Iran on the issue was emphasized."


    Iran rules out any gradual lifting of sanctions - Tehran Times


    Who am I to question the Iranian democratically elected politicians.
    Last edited by OhOh; 04-04-2021 at 12:22 PM.

  24. #49
    Thailand Expat harrybarracuda's Avatar
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    All part of the negotiations.

  25. #50
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    Sanctions should be lifted ‘all at once and completely’: Iranian parliament

    April 4, 2021 - 19:38

    Sanctions should be lifted ‘all at once and completely’: Iranian parliament - Tehran Times

    Democracy.

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