Providence Journal: Not surprisingly, there has been no agreement on a final nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent U.N. Security Council members plus Germany). After three rounds of talks, Tehran’s nuclear weapons program remains the elephant in the room. A comprehensive solution to the crisis remains distant.
The ugly regime in Iran needs to go
No. 2 U.S. diplomat to take part in Iran nuclear talks this week
Reuters: The No. 2 U.S. diplomat will travel to Vienna this week to take part in talks over Iran’s nuclear program, the State Department said on Sunday. In a statement, the State Department said Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns would be among the U.S. officials taking part in the latest round of nuclear talks, which include six world powers and Iran and are scheduled for Monday to Friday.
Obama pushes Iraqis to mend sectarian rifts
New York Times: While Mr. Obama has ordered unmanned surveillance flights over Iraq to gather intelligence for possible strikes on militant positions, the official said, the White House’s emphasis, when Mr. Obama returns to Washington on Monday from a weekend in Southern California, will be on prodding Iraq’s leaders to form a new national unity government.
Iraq army tries to roll back Sunni militants’ advance
Bloomberg: Iraq’s military pummeled the positions of Sunni Muslim insurgents who have captured large chunks of territory north of Baghdad, trying to turn back battlefield advances that threaten to split apart the country. “The security situation is improving” and government forces are conducting pre-emptive operations in Baghdad”, military spokesman Qassim Ata said.
The pain of the World Cup for a former Iranian player
Seattle Times: Thirty-six years ago, as a young Iranian with big dreams, I had the honor of playing as halfback on the first Iranian national soccer team to qualify for the World Cup Finals.I traveled to Argentina in 1978 with irrepressible pride — as both a representative of Iran, and as a sportsman, whose hard work and training finally took me to the biggest stage in the world.
Iraq air force strikes positions as Obama sends warship
Bloomberg: Iraqi military helicopters attacked positions held by Sunni Muslim militants north of Baghdad as the U.S. moved an aircraft carrier into the Persian Gulf for possible air strikes to support the Shiite-led government. More than 130 members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have entered the eastern province of Diyala.
5 Principles for Iraq
New York Times: It was Iran that armed its Iraqi Shiite allies with the specially shaped bombs that killed and wounded many American soldiers. Iran wanted us out. It was Iran that pressured Maliki into not signing an agreement with the U.S. to give our troops legal cover to stay in Iraq. Iran wanted to be the regional hegemon.
Loss of Mosul threatens Iraqi PM’s hold on power
AP: Iraqis say al-Maliki has allowed large-scale corruption to continue and failed to significantly improve their lives despite vast oil revenues. Another complaint, often repeated by Sunnis, is that the prime minister has aligned Iraq too closely with Iran, a mostly Shiite, non-Arab nation that is at odds with the Sunni-ruled, oil-rich Gulf Arab states.
Beleaguered Iraqis court Iranian mastermind of the Shiites who fought the U.S.
New York Times: Qassim Suleimani, the shadowy commander of Iran’s paramilitary Quds Force, flew to Iraq this week with dozens of his officers to advise the country’s beleaguered leadership about how to blunt the advance of militant forces on Baghdad, American officials said Friday. Suleimani is also the current architect of Iranian military support in Syria for President Bashar al-Assad.
U.S. says talks with Iran focused on nuclear security, not Iraq
Reuters: The United States is not in talks with Iran about the current insurgency facing Iraq and is instead focused on resolving issues over Iran’s nuclear program, the State Department said on Friday. “We are not talking to the Iranians about Iraq,” spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters in a briefing.
