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  • Negotiations Resume Between Iran, Major World Powers To Revive 2015 Nuclear Agreement

    Negotiations Resume Between Iran, Major World Powers To Revive 2015 Nuclear Agreement

    Negotiators in Vienna resumed talks on November 29 over reviving Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, with the US taking part at arm’s length as in previous rounds since the Trump administration pulled out of the accord three years ago. Hopes of quick progress were muted after a hard-line new government in Iran led to a more than five-month hiatus in negotiations. But the European Union official chairing the talks sounded an upbeat note after the first meeting concluded. “I feel positive that we can be doing important things for the next weeks,” EU diplomat Enrique Mora told reporters. All participants showed a willingness to listen to the positions and “sensibilities” of the new Iranian delegation, Mora said. At the same time, Iran’s team made clear it wanted to engage in “serious work” to bring the accord back to life, he said.

    The remaining signatories to the nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany, and Britain, convened at the Palais Coburg, a luxury hotel where the agreement was signed six years ago. A US delegation headed by the Biden administration’s special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, stayed at a nearby hotel where it was being briefed on the talks by diplomats from the other countries. President Joe Biden has signaled he wants to rejoin the talks. The last round, aimed at bringing Iran back into compliance with the agreement and paving the way for the US to rejoin, was held in June. “There is a sense of urgency in putting an end to the suffering of the Iranian people,” said Mora, referring to the crippling sanctions the U.S. re-imposed on Iran when it quit the accord. “And there is a sense of urgency in putting the Iranian nuclear program under the transparent monitoring of the international community,” he said. “What has been the norm over the first six rounds will be again the practice in this seventh round,” Mora added. “Nothing new on working methods.”

    The US left the deal under then-President Donald Trump’s failed “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran in 2018. The nuclear deal saw Iran limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Since the deal’s collapse, Iran now enriches small amounts of uranium up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran also spins advanced centrifuges barred by the accord, and its uranium stockpile now far exceeds the accord’s limits. Iran maintains its atomic program is peaceful. However, US intelligence agencies and international inspectors say Iran had an organized nuclear weapons program up until 2003. Nonproliferation experts fear the brinkmanship could push Tehran toward even more extreme measures to try to force the West to lift sanctions. Making matters more difficult, United Nations nuclear inspectors remain unable to fully monitor Iran’s program after Tehran limited their access. A trip to Iran last week by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, failed to make any progress on that issue.

    Russia’s top representative, Mikhail Ulyanov, said he held “useful” informal consultations with officials from Iran and China on Sunday. That meeting, he said, was aimed at “better understanding … the updated negotiating position of Tehran.“ He tweeted a picture of a meeting he described as a preparatory session with members before Iran joined the discussions. A delegation appointed by new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is joining the negotiations for the first time. Iran has made maximalist demands, including calls for the US to unfreeze $10 billion in assets as an initial goodwill gesture, a tough line that might be an opening gambit. Ali Bagheri, an Iranian nuclear negotiator, told Iranian state television  that the Islamic republic “has entered the talks with serious willpower and strong preparation.” However, he cautioned that “we cannot anticipate a timeframe on the length of these talks now.”

    Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh suggested that the US could “receive a ticket for returning to the room” of the nuclear talks if it agrees to “the real lifting of sanctions.” He also criticized a recent opinion piece written by the foreign ministers of Britain and Israel, who pledged to “work night and day to prevent the Iranian regime from ever becoming a nuclear power.” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in a video address delivered to nations negotiating in Vienna, warned that he saw Iran trying to “end sanctions in exchange for almost nothing.” “Iran deserves no rewards, no bargain deals, and no sanctions relief in return for their brutality,” Bennett said in the video that he later posted to Twitter. “I call upon our allies around the world: Do not give in to Iran’s nuclear blackmail.” 

  • OurWeek In Politics (1/28-2/3/18)

    Here are the main events in Politics that occurred this week

    1. President Donald Trump Give First “State of the Union” Address

    President Donald Trump delivered his first official State of the Union Address on January 30.

    On January 30, President Donald Trump delivered his first State of the Union Address before a packed audience consisting of nearly all members of Congress, the Presidential cabinet, the First Family, members of the press, and several notable guests. In his speech, President Trump attempted to strike an optimistic and conciliatory tone through the use of lines such as “This is our new American moment, There has never been a better time to start living the American dream.”

    In his speech, President Trump took credit for the nation’s economy, saying his administration had rolled back regulations, “ended the war on American energy” and “turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals.” He said the $1.5 trillion tax bill he signed brought “tremendous relief for the middle class and small businesses.” Trump called on Congress to adopt his immigration plan, which would offer a citizenship path for nearly two million Dreamers, increase border security, and expedite the construction of a wall along the US-Mexican border. Additionally, the President urged the Democratic Party to join him in approving a $1.5 trillion infrastructure plan, including changes in environmental and other regulations to streamline the approval process for infrastructure projects. “America is a nation of builders, We built the Empire State Building in just one year. Isn’t it a disgrace that it can now take 10 years just to get a permit approved for a simple road?” said Trump in one of the more notable parts of the speech.

    The reaction to President Trump’s State of the Union Address has been mixed, with nearly all Republicans approving it and a majority of Democrats disapproving it. In the Democratic Party response to the speech, Congressman Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts condemned the policies and rhetoric coming from the Trump Administration, stating that “hatred and supremacy” are “proudly marching in our streets,” Russia is “knee-deep in our democracy,” and the Justice Department is “rolling back civil rights by the day.” Additionally, Congressman Kennedy said that the administration “isn’t just targeting the laws that protect us — they are targeting the very idea that we are all worthy of protection.” In addition, many observers pointed out numerous false statements uttered by President Trump throughout the speech, particularly pertaining to economics, foreign policy, immigration, and federal drug policy.

    2. US Government Unveils New Nuclear Weapons Strategy

    Defense Secretary James Mattis announced major changes to the US nuclear policy in a report issued on February 1.

    On February 1, the US Department of Defense announced a new nuclear arms policy that calls for the introduction of two new types of weapons, effectively ending Obama-era efforts to reduce the size and scope of the US nuclear arsenal and minimize the role of nuclear weapons in defense planning. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in an introductory note to the new policy  that the changes reflect a need to “look reality in the eye” and “see the world as it is, not as we wish it to be.” “Over the past decade, while the United States has led the world in these reductions, every one of our potential nuclear adversaries (Russia, China, North Korea, Iran) has been pursuing the exact opposite strategy,” Deputy Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said at a Pentagon news conference, explaining why the United States is changing course. “These powers are increasing the numbers and types of nuclear weapons in their arsenal.”

    The new policy calls for the introduction of “low-yield nukes” on submarine-launched ballistic missiles. Despite being called “low yield,” such weapons could cause roughly as much damage as the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan, depending on their size. The introduction of these types of weapons is meant to counter Russia, who possesses several of these types of weapons. Additionally, the new policy outlines plans to develop nuclear submarine-launched cruise missile, which are meant to pressure nuclear-armed countries such as China and North Korea. The report also reconfirmed its commitment to the modernization of the U.S. nuclear force and called for the introduction of new long-range bombers, submarines, and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Estimates by the Congressional Budget Office determined that the plans outlined in the report will cost about $1.2 trillion over a 30-year period.

    The reaction to the new US nuclear policy has been overwhelmingly negative thus far. the countries mentioned in the report condemned the plan accusing the US of having a “Cold War” mentality. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif view the plan as a direct threat to Russia and have pledged to intervene on Russia’s behalf if the US launches a strike on Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin similarly condemned the new policy and has pledged to expand Russia’s defensive capabilities as a proportionate response. Additionally, disarmament advocates feel that such a plan will create a renewed nuclear arms race and increase the risk of nuclear war to a level even higher than it was during the peak of the Cold War.

    3. House Republican Memo Highlighting Alleged Bias by the FBI in the Trump-Russia Investigation Released

    House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nines (R-CA) released a highly controversial memo alleging bias in the Trump-Russia investigation on February 1 at the urging of the President.

    On February 1, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA) released a formerly classified memo that many Republicans claim say shows surveillance abuses in the early stages of the FBI’s investigation the Trump election campaign and Russia. President Donald Trump, who advocated the release of the document over the strong objections of his own Justice Department, declared that the memo shows that a “lot of people should be ashamed of themselves.”

    The memo asserts that the FBI relied excessively on anti-Trump research funded by Democrats in seeking a warrant to monitor the communications of a Trump campaign associate and that federal authorities concealed the full details of who was paying for the information. President Trump believes that the document would bring a sense of validity to his claims that the FBI and Justice Department conspired against him. On the other hand, FBI director Chris Wray feels that the four-page document is inaccurate and stripped of critical context. Congressman Adam Schiff, the House Intelligence Committee’s ranking Democrat, said that the document “mischaracterizes highly sensitive classified information” and that “the selective release and politicization of classified information sets a terrible precedent and will do long-term damage to the intelligence community and our law enforcement agencies.” Despite the intense fury surrounding its release, the document seems far less explosive than Republicans had claimed, and far less dangerous to national security than Democrats had asserted.

    The disclosure of the document has been all but condemned by the Democratic Party leadership and a growing number of Republicans. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) condemned his own political party to task for releasing the document despite the “grave concerns” of the intelligence community.” “The latest attacks on the FBI and Department of Justice serve no American interests — no party’s, no President’s, only Putin’s,” said McCain. Additionally, many claims that the document will further escalate the intra-governmental conflict between President Trump and his cabinet members and will create a negative precedent that future Presidents may follow when they are threatened politically by the opposing party.