AP: Decisions by the foreign ministers of Russia and China to skip talks on Iran’s nuclear program this weekend are further denting expectations that the stalled negotiations will produce a deal by July 20. The U.S. – which is sending Secretary of State John Kerry to join three other ministers- is putting on a good face. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf says the six powers talking with Iran remain “united in the negotiating room, as we always have.”
Lavrov’s absence clouds Iran nuke talks
Hagel: US aware of Russian, Iranian roles in Iraq
AP: The U.S. knows Russia and Iran are providing fighter aircraft to help Iraq combat Islamic extremists, but Washington is not coordinating assistance with either Russia or Iran, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Friday. Hagel was asked at a Pentagon news conference about reports that Iranian and Russian planes are flying combat missions over northern Iraq and why Washington is not seeking to coordinate with them.
Kurds withdraw support, leaving Iraq without a president
Guardian: The Kurds have ended participation in the Iraqi government, demonstrating a deepening rift between the group and Nouri al-Maliki after the prime minister accused them of harbouring terrorists in the Kurdish capital of Irbil.Hoshyar Zebari, the foreign minister and a Kurd, told Reuters on Friday that Kurdish ministers were suspending their day-to-day running of his ministry and other posts, leaving Iraq without a president and several ministers.
Iran: 411 executions in the first half of 2014
Death Penalty News: At least 411 prisoners have been executed in Iran from the beginning of January 2014 to the end of June of the same year. This indicates that the execution wave, which recommenced after the most recent Iranian presidential election, is continuing. According to reports by Iran Human Rights (IHR), more than 870 people have been executed since the election of Mr. Hassan Rouhani in June 2013.
Iran prepares to assault Iranian dissidents in Iraq
The Hill: Dissemination of bogus reports of Iranian dissidents’ involvement in attacks against Iraqis is Tehran’s way to justify assaults. The regime’s Qods Force disseminated false reports alleging collusion between the dissidents and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), to justify attacking the dissidents in their residences at Camp Liberty, Iraq.
Kurdish government calls on Maliki to quit as Iraqi premier
New York Times: The Kurdish regional government responded Thursday to harsh criticism from Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, announcing that its ministers would boycott cabinet meetings, demanding an apology to the Iraqi people and calling on Mr. Maliki to step down. The political fissure was exacerbated after Mr. Maliki on Wednesday accused the Kurds of turning their regional capital into the headquarters of ISIS.
House majority demands Obama consult Congress on Iran nuclear deal
The Hill: More than three-quarters of the House are demanding President Obama consult with Congress on any final nuclear agreement with Iran as the deadline for negotiations nears. “Any permanent sanctions relief demands congressional approval,” 344 lawmakers from both sides of the aisle wrote in a letter sent to Obama on Thursday.
Commerzbank may pay $600-$800 million to settle U.S. probe – sources
Reuters: Germany’s second-biggest bank Commerzbank AG is expected to pay $600 million to $800 million (350 million pounds to 467 million pounds) to resolve investigations into its dealings with Iran and other countries under U.S. sanctions, sources familiar with the matter said. Commerzbank had fired staff in Hamburg “some time ago” for having concealed dealings with customers in countries such as Iran and Sudan.
How to protect against a bad deal with Iran
The Hill: When a leader is in trouble, his instinct is to look elsewhere for a potential success. This suggests to many policy analysts that the president may be sorely tempted to go all-out for a deal with Iran — any deal he can portray as a success, even if it isn’t. What would a serious post-nuclear strategy look like? I have long advocated supporting the internal Iranian opposition.
Iran nuclear talks sides far apart: Hague tells paper
Reuters: Significant differences remain between the six world powers and Iran in negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear program, British Foreign Minister William Hague told an Austrian newspaper. In an interview conducted by the Wiener Zeitung via email on Wednesday and published on Thursday, Hague said a deal was far from certain but that all possibilities should be exhausted in a final round of talks now taking place in Vienna.
