Bloomberg: If you want to figure out what went wrong in the first round of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, look no further than the news briefing by a “Senior Administration Official” in the U.S. State Department just days before Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva.
Why negotiations with Iran are doomed
Hunger strikers: ‘I don’t know how long they can continue’
This Is Local London: Hunger strikers camped outside the US Embassy are in their 74th day as they continue to campaign for the safety of hostages in Iraq. The group has been sleeping in a makeshift camp outside the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square since September 1.
Sanctions easing can be reversed if Iran does not deliver: Obama
Reuters: President Barack Obama sought to reassure skeptical U.S. lawmakers on Thursday that any easing of sanctions on Iran that emerges from negotiations could easily be reversed and “ramped back up” if Tehran fails to curb its nuclear program.
Iran is said to signal nuclear cooperation by slowing expansion
Bloomberg: Iran has signaled a willingness to halt the expansion of nuclear work at the center of its decade-long dispute with world powers, according to diplomats familiar with the investigation into the atomic program. The Persian Gulf nation also slowed construction of a reactor at Arak.
US may free ‘tiny portion’ of $45 bln Iran assets: Kerry
AFP: US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday revealed for the first time that the United States is offering to free up “a tiny portion” of some $45 billion in Iranian assets frozen in bank accounts around the world.
Menendez joins GOP in slamming Iran briefing
The Hill: The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday joined Republicans in slamming the Obama administration’s request to delay sanctions on Iran.He reiterated his desire to move legislation that could somehow increase the pressure on Iran.
America’s broken Middle East promise
Detroit News: Presently, hundreds of other Camp Liberty residents, including myself, are on a hunger strike, demanding the immediate release of the seven Camp Ashraf hostages in the Iraqi government’s custody, as well as the deployment of a UN Blue Helmet contingent for the protection of the 3,000 residents of Camp Liberty.
US gambling with Israel’s security: minister
AFP: Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, dispatched by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to campaign against a nascent deal being negotiated by western powers with Iran, spoke out against moves which in a first phase would apparently allow Tehran to halt but not dismantle its nuclear program.
EU to re-impose Iran sanctions quashed by court
Reuters: The European Union will re-impose asset freezes on several Iranian companies, annulled this year by court order, even as world powers appear close to a breakthrough deal with Tehran over its contested nuclear program.
Democrats silent as Kerry pleads for time on Iran talks
Bloomberg: Senate Democratic leaders are withholding comment on an Obama administration request to delay new sanctions against Iran, as some Republicans say they’re determined to increase economic pressure aimed at curbing the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
