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  • #31
    After the initial round of talks failed, it is obvious that Mr. Kerry has his work cut out for him. In an unusual alignment, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Israel, and France plainly stated that the deal offered to Iran was far too generous and unacceptable. In addition, indications are that the US Congress is not aboard Mr. Kerry's ship and will introduce amendments this week to toughen economic sanctions on Iran. Mr. Kerry will testify before Congress on Wednesday in an attempt to convince Congress to hold off on imposing additional sanctions. Congressional aids say that Congress is highly skeptical of the Geneva plan and Mr. Kerry faces a tough uphill battle.
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    • #32
      Tehran still has enough cash available to finance nuclear development, the Assad regime, and Hezbollah. It seems to me that the sanctions should be notched up considerably.
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      • #33
        Originally posted by Minskaya View Post
        Tehran still has enough cash available to finance nuclear development, the Assad regime, and Hezbollah. It seems to me that the sanctions should be notched up considerably.
        Is everything in their nuclear operation "Made in Iran"? If so, tough luck that harsher sanctions will do much more damage.
        And how much harsher? What's left?
        No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

        To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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        • #34
          Originally posted by Doktor View Post
          And how much harsher?
          Harsh enough to compel Tehran to make the necessary concessions.
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          • #35
            Originally posted by Minskaya View Post
            Harsh enough to compel Tehran to make the necessary concessions.
            Making them harsher then now will only make it worse for some countries that still buy Iranian oil (China, India come to mind)
            What else can be imposed to Iran? They are out of SWIFT, have trade embargo going on... To paraphrase, what other sanctions you foresee that could press the regime harder then it is now?
            No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

            To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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            • #36
              I don't know much about negotiations but i'm beginning to sense hard balling by each side so as to reveal weakness in the others position. If so then this is normal. These talks are pretty air tight, no leaks. Who said what is all tactics outside the conference room. Both parties are playing to their domestic audiences. kerry wants to forestall extra sanctions at this early stage and Zarif is trying to appease his hawks back at home.

              If in six months we still get nowhere then i will get despondent.
              Last edited by Double Edge; 13 Nov 13,, 18:05.

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              • #37
                France's Hollande assures Israel on Iran nuclear deal
                JERUSALEM Sun Nov 17, 2013

                French President Francois Hollande assured Israel on Sunday that France would continue to oppose an easing of economic sanctions against Iran until it was convinced Tehran had ended a pursuit of nuclear weapons. Hollande's pledge, at the start of a three-day visit to Israel, could help underpin an intensive campaign by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convince world powers to toughen terms of a proposed nuclear deal with Iran ahead of negotiations reconvening this week in Geneva. "France will not give way on nuclear proliferation," Hollande said at a welcoming ceremony at Tel Aviv airport. "So long as we are not certain that Iran has renounced nuclear arms, we will keep in place all our demands and sanctions."

                After Hollande's state visit, Netanyahu was scheduled to travel to Moscow on Wednesday to see Russian President Vladimir Putin and return to Israel to meet U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday. Netanyahu has condemned a proposal, to be discussed in a third round of talks between six world powers and Tehran on November 20-23, to ease economic sanctions on Iran if it suspends parts of its nuclear program. "I hope that we will be able to persuade our friends during this week and in the days that follow to get a much better agreement," Netanyahu said in public remarks at the start of a weekly cabinet meeting. His position has found support in the U.S. Congress, where legislation to impose tough new sanctions could come to the Senate floor in the coming week.
                Source: Reuters
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                • #38
                  Iran nuclear negotiator digs heels in over right to enrich uranium | Guardian | Nov 21 2013

                  This week Zarif appeared to offer a concession, suggesting Tehran might no longer insist on hammering out wording in the interim agreement that explicitly guaranteed Iran the right to enrich uranium, saying there could be references to the right already, under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

                  But an Iranian negotiator at the talks denied the Iranian position had eased. "If this element is not in the text, it is unacceptable to us. Without that, there will be no agreement."

                  The 1968 NPT is vague on the subject. It guarantees a nation's right to a peaceful nuclear programme, without mentioning enrichment specifically. But signatories are obliged not to develop weapons and to agree on inspection regimes with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

                  A compromise had been floated in the days running up the latest Geneva talks whereby the agreement text would mention NPT rights and the parties would interpret that in their own way. However, the Iranian negotiator said that would not be enough for Tehran. "It is because there are different interpretations of the NPT that there is a need to spell it out in the text. We are trying to find language that is the least problematic for all parties, but what is essential is the element of enrichment."

                  Western states acknowledge that they will have to accept some degree of Iranian enrichment as a fait accompli in any interim agreement. This is the focus of the Geneva agreement being negotiated, a deal that aims to slow down, stop or reverse elements of the nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief.

                  However, Washington and its allies, particularly France, do not want to put that acceptance in writing, lest it serve as a legal precedent for global proliferation. Enrichment of uranium is a dual-use technology which can produce weapons-grade fissile material for warheads as well as fuel for nuclear power stations.

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                  • #39
                    A bipartisan group of US Senators on Thursday said they would introduce legislation that would increase sanctions unless Iran agreed to terminate 'all nuclear enrichment activity'. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated that he would never accept such a condition. The US House has already passed legislation imposing tougher sanctions on Iran.
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                    • #40
                      Republican senator: Democrats 'procedurally blocked' new Iran sanctions bill | JPost | Nov 20 2013

                      Obama personally lobbied key members of the Senate on Tuesday not to move forward with new sanctions legislation against Iran, just a day before the third round of negotiations were set to begin in Geneva

                      The meeting came shortly after Iranian parliamentarians warned that, should new sanctions proceed through the US Congress, Iran would pull its diplomats from the negotiating table.
                      After meeting with the president, Senator Corker implied that any new legislative push was on hold for the time being.

                      “Let’s face it,” Corker said to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer. “At the end of the day, there aren’t going to be new sanctions put in place” before Geneva. And “Senator [Harry] Reid has filled the tree,” he said, describing the Senate majority leader’s ability to prevent new amendments from getting floor time for consideration.

                      “Congress has no say on the easing of sanctions,” Corker added. “The president has full waiver authority.”

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                      • #41
                        The Senate is currently on a two week leave for the Thanksgiving holiday. The new sanctions legislation will be formally introduced in the Senate when they return in early December.
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                        • #42
                          We'll see how this round goes. The offer on the table is...

                          'a cap on further sanctions in exchange for a cap on enrichment'

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