EU Imposes Oil Embargo on Iran

On the radar: Brussels adds pressure; MOX project “in the wilderness”; Defense budget request incoming; Communicating with Iran; Rift in the IRGC; and Carriers in transit.

January 23, 2012 | Edited by Benjamin Loehrke and Mary Kaszynski

EU adopts Iran oil embargo - Adding to the sanctions on Iran, the EU has imposed an oil embargo and frozen the assets of Iran’s central bank. The embargo includes an immediate ban on new contracts with Iran for crude oil and petroleum products, while existing contracts can run through July. AP has the story. http://owl.li/8CY7q

MOX project “veers” - Budget and design problems plague NNSA’s project to blend plutonium from old nuclear bombs into commercial reactor fuel (MOX). Shifting plans for disassembling the plutonium pits for MOX production are the latest hitch. After NNSA nixed its plan to build a stand-alone disassembly plant, it now plans to house that function at four separate existing sites in an attempt to save cash.

--“I think it reflects the big stresses growing on this program...This project is still wandering in the wilderness of funding and at this point they are just spending money,” said Tom Clements of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability. Rob Pavey at the The Augusta Chronicle has the story. http://owl.li/8CY9b

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Quote - “Over at the Pentagon, you sometimes hear it put this way: Bombing Iran is the best way to guarantee exactly what we are trying to prevent,” writes Bill Keller in The New York Times. http://owl.li/8CYBR

Defense budget - Secretary Panetta and JCS Chairman General Dempsey are scheduled for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Defense Authorization budget request - Tues. Feb. 7 at 9:30 am. Of interest is how the new Pentagon strategy, which mentioned trimming the nuclear arsenal, will be reflected in cold, hard budget language. Hearing details here. http://owl.li/8D1rm

Obama’s couriers to Iran - Last week, President Obama conveyed a diplomatic message to Iran’s Supreme leader explaining the U.S. positions about keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and remaining committed to finding a diplomatic solution to tensions with Iran. When diplomatic ties are severed, how does the President convey such a message?

--Laura Rozen reports there were three couriers: the Swiss ambassador to Iran, US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, and possibly Iraq’s President Jalal Talibani. http://owl.li/8CYc5

Back channel to Tehran - “The Iran nuclear crisis is far from over, but Tehran appears to have made a subtle blink — backing away from its threat a few weeks ago to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to escalating U.S. sanctions,” writes David Ignatius for The Washington Post.

--The diplomatic communication between the U.S. and Iran “made clear, at least, that urgent messages are being sent and received between Washington and Tehran. http://owl.li/8CYhp

Tweet - @BarbaraSlavin1: “#iran supreme leader faces unprecedented criticism from irgc http://owl.li/8D044”

Negotiating with Iran - “Khamenei isn’t in a particularly enviable position. He’s stuck between Obama and a hard place [domestic politics] - with very little room to maneuver in between.” Meir Javedanfar argues for bilateral negotiations with Iran - something that would be politically difficult for both sides, but necessary to avoid war. http://owl.li/8CYEW

USS Lincoln & USS Stennis - The USS Lincoln made it through the Strait of Hormuz without incident over the weekend. The turnover of responsibility between the aircraft carrier and its counterpart the USS Stennis offered a great photo op for the Navy. From Flickr. http://owl.li/8CYHJ