Washington Post: Iran agreed yesterday to immediately suspend its nuclear programs in exchange for European guarantees that it will not face the prospect of U.N. Security Council sanctions as long as their agreement holds. The nuclear deal, accepted by Iranian officials in a meeting in Tehran with French, German and British ambassadors, set the stage for a serious test of whether diplomatic engagement is capable of halting Tehran’s nuclear ambitions in the long term.
Iran Vows To Freeze Nuclear Programs
Verdict due on Iran nuclear plans
BBC: The UN nuclear watchdog is preparing to issue a report on investigations into Iran’s nuclear activities. The report will include an agreement Iran reached with EU states last week to halt uranium enrichment plans. Iran is facing a 25 November deadline to comply with an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution ordering the suspension.
The Iran Connection
US News & World Report: In the summer of last year, Iranian intelligence agents in Tehran began planning something quite spectacular for September 11, the two-year anniversary of al Qaeda’s attack on the United States, according to a classified American intelligence report. Iranian agents disbursed $20,000 to a team of assassins, the report said, to kill Paul Bremer, then the top U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq.
Iran agrees to full nuclear enrichment freeze
Reuters: Iran has pledged to suspend its uranium enrichment programme to ease concerns that its nuclear programme is aimed at developing weapons, but has warned that the freeze is only temporary. Hassan Rohani, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, said on Sunday the suspension would remain in place as long as talks with the EU continued on a final resolution of the issue.
Italian DM calls for diplomacy to resolve Iran nuclear dispute
Xinhuanet: Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said Sunday that he hopes Iran’s nuclear program dispute would
be resolved by diplomatic means, Italian News Agency ANSA reported. Iran and the European Union (EU) heavyweights, Britain, Franceand Germany, on Thursday initiated
discussions in Tehran on Iran’s nuclear program.
Kurds in Iran Cheer Iraqi Neighbors’ Efforts for Greater Voice
New York Times: Iran’s six million Kurds are avidly following events across the border in Iraq, hoping that the Kurds there will blaze a trail to greater freedoms that can be duplicated in Iran.
But lately, the Iranian Kurds are discouraged.
Iran to Announce Decision on EU Nuclear Deal-Report
Reuters: Iran will announce its final decision later on Sunday on an EU proposal that it freeze sensitive nuclear work in
return for avoiding referral to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions, local news agencies reported.
Iraq’s neighboring states to meet in Tehran
AP: Iran Interior ministers from Iraq’s neighbors and Egypt will meet later this month in Iran to discuss the security threat posed by militants. Iran’s official news agency says the ministers and security officials will share intelligence on militants and other people suspected of being linked to the insurgency in Iraq.
International atomic inspectors in Iran on routine checks
AFP: A team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have arrived in Iran to carry out routine inspections, a spokesman of the United Nations atomic agency said. The IAEA has been conducting routine inspections in Iran since February last year. But a diplomat in Vienna did not rule out the possibility that the team would also check on the suspension of uranium enrichment …
US does not plan regime change in Iran: Powell
AFP: The United States has no intention to change Iran’s regime and it has no plans to invade the nation neighboring Iraq, where 140,000 US troops are stationed, US Secretary of State Colin Powell said in an interview to be broadcast Sunday. “We are not getting ready to invade Iran,” Powell told CNBC television’s “The Wall Street Journal Report” when asked if having 140,000 troops in Iraq makes it easier to deal with Iran.
