"Iran's supreme leader gave strong backing on Sunday to his president's push for nuclear negotiations, warning hardliners not to accuse Hassan Rouhani of compromising with the old enemy America.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's comments will help shield Rouhani, who has sought to thaw relations with the West since his surprise election in June, from accusations of being soft on the United States, often characterized in the Islamic Republic as the "Great Satan".
Iran will resume negotiations with six world powers, including the United States, in Geneva on Thursday, talks aimed at ending a standoff over its nuclear work that Tehran denies is weapons-related.
Rouhani hopes a deal there will mean an end to sanctions that have cut the OPEC country's oil exports and hurt the wider economy, but any concession that looks like Iran is compromising on what it sees as its sovereign right to peaceful nuclear technology will be strongly resisted by conservatives.
"No one should consider our negotiators as compromisers," Khamenei said in a speech, a day before the November 4 anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, a pivotal event in U.S.-Iranian relations, the ISNA news agency reported.
"They have a difficult mission and no one must weaken an official who is busy with work," said Khamenei, who wields ultimate power in Iran's dual clerical-republic system, including over the nuclear program." Reuters
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This will make it more difficult for the Likud/Aipac/WINEP forces to maintain their propaganda theme concerning the false nature of iranian negotiating positions, but they will manage. pl
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/03/us-iran-nuclear-khamenei-idUSBRE9A206I20131103
Iran continues to assert its rights under IAEA protocols, which are already stricter than other countries must abide by. Their nuclear weapons program seems to be dormant or dismantled for the past decade. At most they seem interested in developing a latent breakout capacity. US and UN pressure has likely
Iran has been tweaking Israel and the US with modestly increased enrichment levels, ostensibly for medical research, and for greatly expanding and hardening it’s enrichment facilities. Israel has done itself no favors, outside of its lobbying circles, by its provocative public statements and actions.
Iran clearly wants to escape the onerous inspection and sanctions regimes it labors under. It also wants to neuter Israel’s threats to attack. With the US so far unwilling to act as Israel’s proxy, and the EU weakening on sanctions, Iran’s position appears to be improving. The more conciliatory and appeasing face being provided by Iran’s new President, and now bolstered by public support from Khameniei, Iran is clearly signaling its desire to conclude negotiations, on terms most suitable to itself.
I would opine that if due to USA negativity on this negotiation process is adjudged to be too rigid [and or intentionally too close to Bibi’s position] then there is a good chance that the coalition of the willing re sanctions would totally disintegrate [especially due to the backlash of the Snowdon/ NCA fiasco].
Germany and France have lost too much trade already, plus that price of oil has at least a $10-20 barrel surcharge due to the inability of Iran to sell her extra million barrels per day. With Europe just edging along [recession in most places] the leaders of the Euro not need too much of an excuse to take steps which would increase their economy.
http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/11/israel-buys-the-us-congress-sabotaging-the-us-iran-peace-negotiations/
You’re right to be pessimistic. Petras tells it like it is.
However, the Jewish Quartet has given their own ultimatum:
http://forward.com/articles/186729/jewish-quartet-of-leaders-gives-barack-obama–da/
Leaders of four major Jewish organizations have indicated to the Obama Administration that they will have a 60-day moratorium during which they will refrain from conducting any public campaign urging Congress to strengthen U.S. sanctions against Iran.
Read more: http://forward.com/articles/186729/jewish-quartet-of-leaders-gives-barack-obama–da/#ixzz2jcYeWGPY
If I want to be unladylike and use the slang of “who’s your daddy”, one wonders how we have reached this situation that we have more sycophants of the Bibi on the hill than real patriots who are supposed to work for the American people who have voted for them.
I wonder when I see thee pressers, why nobody in the audience bothers to ask the spokespersons or Kerry and Obama on the NPT the one, salient question: “OK, what part of “inalienable right” is it that you do not understand?”
Fears of loss of access probably.
The only thing that makes Iran’s nuclear enrichment a problem is the assertion that it is about nukes.
I can very well understand the Iranians to want some sort of guarantee that the IAEA doesn’t come once every week with a new request to see this or that because someone told them that, this time – they are certain – the Iranians have some sort of suspicious activity here or there or behind the sofa or under the carpet, and that anyway, the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.
Tell me Bibi, when did you stop stealing land, heh? Oh wait …
There’s definitely a price premium for oil caused by the Iranian embargo. Your range sounds about right. It’s been an absolute gift to the world’s oil producing companies and nations. Many of whom are not our greatest friends.
It’s also been an immense drag on the world’s recovery from the Great Recession. Higher fuel prices have hit industry and households and reduced expansion, manufacturing, and mobility. There’s research to be done and an argument to be made that US unemployment might be about one percent lower and GDP growth about half a percent higher, as a result of higher fuel prices.
Increased fuel prices have been a tax on ourselves and the rest of the world, as much as they have been meant to punish Iran.
The Israel’s friends in the US must have an obscene amount of money to be able to buy the US Congress. I am pessimistic and think this will get worse and Israel’s influence in the US political system will get stronger. I really hope I am proven wrong.
tony
The amount of money is not all that impressive but it is used with great skill to punish or reward. pl
Let’s see.
Today in Iran, they burned lots of American flags,chanted the usual “death to America” and celebrated the seizure of the US Embassy.
Yeah, let’s seriously negotiate with these scumbags.
“PLEASE, pretty pleeeese…don’t build a nuclear weapon.”
The are the counterparts of our AIPAC nutjobs who are lobbying for the US to bomb Iran back to the stone age. Iran probably has a nuclear weapon already.
r whitman
“Iran probably has a nuclear weapon already.” I doubt that. pl
The United States has greatly harmed Iran.
One must accept that fact and that it cannot be un-lived.
Babak
Would Iran like to be further harmed? pl
Doesn’t say much for Iranian smarts, does it?
They just keep on digging.
I’m not advocating for bombing.
Just keep tightening the economic screws.
Let them make a choice like:
Burn American flags and chant or…
Eat.
TWV
You do not wish to negotiate with Rouhani? pl
Nor Americans, for if they were clever, they would fly to Tehran and settle with Iran.
That would have revolutionized the position of US in the World of Islam – but it is not to be.
My sense of it is that US leaders are not prepared to settle with Iran.
I might be wrong but I do not see any “give” in US position.
Do you?
When he shows he’s ready to negotiate, not just putting on dog and ponies for the media.
BUT, this is just my opinion.
I’m certainly no area or foreign policy person.
Opinions are like assholes.
Everyone has one and they all smell.
And this is SOOOOOO diplomatic:
https://twitter.com/IsraelinUSA/status/397750965752696832
Hasbara at its best
Yep this pic represents the whole nation of Iran, like the Zionist sfrom Likud represent the whole state of Israel !!!
I hope to live to see the day…
twv, your paradigm is very interesting. It is like saying, Build bridges that don’t collapse in Minnesota or help Eastern Europeans take over some Arab land. Like saying stop New Orleans from getting flooded by a little hurricane by learning from the Dutch who have build well bellow 20 meters of sea level or spend your money protecting the Money Changers in the Temple. Like stating, protect Wall Street to slush off public funds while allowing main street to go bankrupt because of ill health.
You/we/me also have a choice to make.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/10/18/us-markets-forex-idINBRE9900VQ20131018
I would say, lets have more cattle and less hat.
This is also America:
You might look into the mirror a bit: http://linhdinhphotos.blogspot.mx
Amir
You are right. That is also America. It is also wherever you personally live, but I take the point and for me it reinforces the idea of politico-military disengagement overseas. pl