AP: The top U.S. and Iranian diplomats searched Monday for a breakthrough in nuclear talks, their efforts complicated by crises across the Middle East and beyond that have Washington and Tehran aligned in some places but often opposed. The state of U.S.-Iranian relations was adding a new wrinkle to the long negotiation aimed at curbing the Islamic republic’s uranium and plutonium programs.
Facing deadline, US and Iran press nuclear talks
U.S. Sees risks in assisting a compromised Iraqi force
New York Times: A classified military assessment of Iraq’s security forces concludes that many units are so deeply infiltrated by either Sunni extremist informants or Shiite personnel backed by Iran that any Americans assigned to advise Baghdad’s forces could face risks to their safety. According to the report Iraqi forces loyal to Nuri al-Maliki are now heavily dependent on Shiite militias — many of which were trained in Iran.
Iranian court sentences Facebook activists to jail
AP: An Iranian court handed jail sentences of eight to 21 years to eight Facebook page administrators, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. The report said the defendants were convicted of plotting against national security, spreading propaganda against the ruling system and insulting officials. It did not identify the defendants or the Facebook pages.
U.S., Iran say disputes remain in nuclear talks as deadline looms
Reuters: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday major differences persist between Iran and six world powers negotiating on Tehran’s nuclear program, with a week to go before a deadline for a deal. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters that Germany and the other members of the six-power group have tried to persuade Iran of the urgency of a deal.
Iran sends Rouhani brother to nuclear talks
Bloomberg: Iran has for the first time sent President Hassan Rouhani’s younger brother as a special observer to the nuclear talks in Vienna, signaling the importance of the final week of negotiations before a July 20 deadline. “He’s the president’s eyes and ears,” Ali Vaez, an Istanbul-based analyst for the International Crisis Group, said in an e-mailed reply to questions.
Iran sticks to ‘unworkable, inadequate’ stances in nuclear talks – U.S.
Reuters: Iran has stuck to “unworkable and inadequate” positions in nuclear talks with six world powers despite a looming deadline for a deal to end sanctions against Tehran in exchange for curbs on its atomic programme, a U.S. official said on Saturday. “We are still very far apart on some issues and obviously on enrichment capacity,” the senior U.S. administration official told reporters hours before Kerry was due to arrive in Vienna.
U.S. won’t extend nuclear talks without concessions from Iran
Los Angeles Times: U.S. officials warned Saturday that they would not seek to extend negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program beyond the July 20 deadline unless Tehran’s negotiators make major concessions in the next several days. With top Western diplomats convening Sunday in the Austrian capital to review progress in the talks, senior U.S. officials said the two sides remained deeply divided on the core issue of the negotiations.
Rubio calls for sanctions on Iran human rights violators
The Hill: Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) introduced a bill Thursday that would impose sanctions against Iranian leaders who violate human rights. “The U.S. should strongly support the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people, and stand against ongoing systemic human rights violations by the Iranian regime,” Rubio said.
Iraq illusions
New York Review: The story most media accounts tell of the recent burst of violence in Iraq seems clear-cut and straightforward. In reality, what is happening is anything but. ISIS, to begin, is only one of an almost uncountable mélange of Sunni militant groups. Besides ISIS, the Sunni insurgency that has risen up against the government of Nouri al-Maliki includes the Military Council of the Tribes of Iraq, comprising as many as eighty tribes.
Rift with Kurds widens as Iraqi leader replaces the foreign minister
New York Times: The dangerous struggle between the leadership of Iraq and the country’s Kurdish minority intensified Friday as the Kurds seized two oil production facilities in Kirkuk Province and the prime minister appointed a temporary replacement for the foreign minister. The ethnic tensions escalated at the same time as reports surfaced of more sectarian violence, notably abductions and killings of Sunnis in central Iraq, and two bombings in Kirkuk.
