November 9th, 2009 by Jason

The U.S. has tried to resuscitate the nuclear deal with Iran by sending back-channel messages that it is willing to store Iran’s nuclear stockpile in a neutral, trustworthy country like Turkey. But Iran has not responded to these proposals, instead offering that the uranium should be stored in the Iranian-controlled island of Kish under international inspectors. Tehran’s head nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, affirmed that he wants to reach an agreement ”as quickly as possible,” but Western officials have become increasingly skeptical.

According to David Ignatius, “it’s a measure of the political turmoil in Tehran that the chief proponent of engagement with the United States over the past month has been the hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.” Ignatius cites Iran expert Karim Sadjadpour who observes that the key challenge for President Obama is to determine how to strike a deal “with an Iran that needs America as an adversary” without forsaking the opposition movement. For that reason, Jim Hoagland worries that while Obama was correct to engage Iran initially, the tactic “may have run its course.” Additionally, The Guardian editorial staff contends, “Stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons is a worthy strategic project. But it is not advanced by ignoring the protesters beaten by Iranian security forces.”

As negotiations continue, the U.S. Treasury has announced new sanctions on Iran’s Bank Mellat and its subsidiary in Malaysia, which a senior Iranian economic official has called “baseless.” In addition, Iranian state-run IRNA news announced the three American hikers who were detained earlier this year will be charged for espionage. In response, Secretary Clinton stated, “we believe strongly that there is no evidence to support any charge whatsoever.”

The three Americans are not the only people in Iran facing serious jail time. According to niacINsight, 109 Iranians were detained last week during the November 4 protests. Out of the 109, 62 will face trial while the rest were released after being interrogated. Three of those arrested were journalists attempting to report on the day’s protests, including the AFP’s Farhad Pouladi. After spending the week in detention, they were released this weekend. Such crackdowns on the press has led Muhammad Sahimi at Tehran Bureau to conclude “Iran has become one of the most dangerous countries in the world to be a journalist.” Yet, according to Sahimi, censorship actually works against the interests of the Iranian regime, as it forces the people to rely on foreign media that can be uninformed and even carry a hidden political agenda.

Beyond journalists, many ordinary citizens remain detained for their political beliefs. Tehran Bureau has posted a petition to Ayatollah Larijani, the head of the judiciary, asking for the release of political prisoner Majid Zamani. The petition can be signed online in either Farsi or English.  Meanwhile, the gravestones of post-election crackdown victims have been vandalized, according to their family members. In addition, Human Rights Watch has now documented three cases of sexual assault during the election aftermath, including one case filed in an official report that was not was pursued further.

The Babylon and Beyond blog examines Mohammed Khatami: “although the mood on the streets is getting more radical, Khatami has placed himself squarely within the traditional camp of reformists, those who want to change the Islamic Republic from within.”  But the Shah’s son has grander plans for the opposition, urging an overthrow of the government through “civil disobedience and non-violence.” In the New Yorker, George Packer contrasts the fall of the Berlin Wall to the current situation in Iran. Just like in Eastern Europe, the Iranian opposition “has deep social and intellectual roots, a growing mass following, and an enemy state with a hollowed-out ideology.” However, unlike in Eastern Europe, the security apparatus “is ready to kill” and there is no Iranian equivalent to Mikhail Gorbachev.

Finally, Ambassador John Limbert has been appointed Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran at the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. According to Laura Rozen, “given that Limbert is one of the few U.S. diplomats to have actually served in Tehran and who speaks the language fluently, it seems a rather exciting hire.” Thirty years ago, Amb. Limbert was taken hostage and held for 444 days after the U.S. embassy was stormed by Iranian students.  

Posted in Diplomacy, EU, Elections, Human Rights, Iran, Journalism, Judiciary, US foreign policy, US politics, sanctions |