With unusual candor and stark language, a top State Department official is accusing Iran of ongoing illicit nuclear-related activity in violation of international obligations.  The shift in tone suggests an early beginning to establishing blame for a failure of international talks designed to remove the nuclear threat posed by Iran....

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Various outlets have focused in recent days on specific sectors being eyed by investors as Iranian markets are reopened to the world under the terms of the interim Joint Plan of Action (JPA), even as President Barack Obama on Wednesday extended some sanctions after informing Congress that the Islamic Republic “continue[d] to pose an...

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A top Iranian official reiterated yesterday that Tehran will refuse to discuss its ballistic missile program in the context of comprehensive negotiations over its nuclear program with the international community, the latest in a long line of statements underlining that the Islamic republic views the issue as a red line. “Issues related to our...

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United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that human rights in Iran have not improved since the election and inauguration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, with Ban specifically citing what Reuters described as “the prevalent use of capital punishment” by the Islamic republic. “The new administration has not made any significant improvement in...

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Iranian negotiators are trying to put off addressing suspected military dimensions related to the country’s atomic program until negotiations with the global P5+1 powers have substantially progressed, creating what the Wall Street Journal on Monday described as “a new challenge for efforts to reach a broad nuclear deal with six world powers.” In an...

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Voice of America (VOA) reported last week that Washington was facing renewed concerns from its Arab and Israeli allies over its diplomatic approach toward Iran, amid reemphasized declarations by top Iranian leaders that they will refuse to dismantle any aspects of the Islamic republic’s nuclear program. The dynamics had already reenergized domestic moves to assert a strong...

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Iran and Hamas are scrambling to minimize the damage from Israel’s Wednesday interdiction of the Klos-C – a Panamanian-flagged Iranian arms ship carrying advanced missiles bound for the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip – even as new details emerged throughout Thursday about intelligence operations that preceded the vessel’s capture. The intercepted cargo included M-302 missiles with ranges of...

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Controversy continued to build Wednesday and Thursday over reported plans by the Obama administration to circumvent Congressional prerogatives and unilaterally lift sanctions on Iran, amid a converging consensus from pro-Israel and pro-Iran groups that such moves would be either untenable or counterproductive or both. Mark Dubowitz, the executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies...

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USA Today last week catalogued a range of indications that “Iran [is] advancing its nuclear program despite [a] pact with West,” describing how the Islamic Republic was “moving ahead with a nuclear program that U.S. officials said would be frozen” even as the sanctions relief granted under an interim agreement was eroding Washington’s...

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The Swiss government yesterday fully suspended some trade bans on Iran and relaxed mandatory reporting requirements across a range of additional sectors, a day after news emerged that Iran intends to use banks in Japan, South Korea, and Switzerland to reestablish ties to the international financial system. Agence France-Presse reported on Tuesday that Tehran...

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