Balancing Pressure and Negotiations with Iran

October 24, 2013 | Edited by Benjamin Loehrke

Balance and flexibility - To reach a breakthrough agreement with Iran, both the U.S. and Iran need to be ready to compromise. This means Tehran will need to accept limits on its nuclear program and Washington will need to accept some form of an Iranian enrichment program, writes Nicholas Burns.

--While the U.S. has established a lot of leverage in negotiations through existing sanctions, “Congress should keep further sanctions on ice and defer to Obama on negotiations that are clearly the prerogative of the executive branch. And Israel should trust and support Obama’s diplomatic bid,” writes Burns. “If leaders in Congress can now support Obama’s careful balance of flexibility and toughness on Iran, we may be able to stop Iran’s nuclear future by diplomacy rather than force.” Full article in The Boston Globe. http://b.globe.com/HjqiaY

20% halt - Iran may have halted its production of enriched uranium up to 20 percent, according to an influential Iranian lawmaker. Referring to a nuclear test reactor in Tehran, the lawmaker, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, stated that additional enriched uranium was no longer needed to meet the reactor’s needs. Though the reports have not been verified, the news could be a potential signal that the state is edging closer toward accepting one of the the world powers’ key demands on its nuclear program.

--"Tehran will decide whether to have over 5-percent enrichment or not itself, but the issue of suspension or halt of enrichment activities is meaningless because no production is taking place at the moment,” said Hosseini. Jon Hemming of Reuters has the story. http://reut.rs/1adQcGc

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Test tunnels - “Satellite imagery shows North Korea has made new tunnel entrances at its nuclear test site in a sign it is preparing to conduct more underground explosions there in the future, a U.S. research institute said Wednesday,” reports Matthew Pennington of AP.

--”Concerns that North Korea could conduct a fourth nuclear test are justified given continuing excavation at the site. Pyongyang is probably making sure it is prepared although when another detonation might happen remains entirely unclear," said Joel Wit. Full article here. http://abcn.ws/1igbqG4

Speed reads:

--“Rift widens on Iranian nuclear deal as Israel, Arabs warn against allowing enrichment” by Joby Warrick of The Washington Post. http://wapo.st/18fB885

--”White House Meeting With Congress On Iran Thursday, May Ask For Delay In Sanctions” reports Rosie Gray at Buzzfeed. http://bit.ly/17f9MmD

--”Nobel peace laureates call on world leaders to negotiate an end to nuclear weapons” from AP. http://wapo.st/1c0b7h4

Events:

--"Nuclear Weapons Modernization Programs: Military, Technical and Political Requirements for the B61 Life Extension Program and Future Stockpile Strategy." Hearing of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces with Madelyn Creedon, Gen. Robert Kehler, Donald Cook, and Paul Hommert. October 29th at 3:30pm.

--”Iran and the Nuclear Issue: The November 7-8 Geneva Round” Discussion with Robert Einhorn, Kenneth Pollack, Suzanne Maloney, Tamara Cofman Wittes and Ted Piccone. November 1st from 2:00-3:00pm at Brookings. http://bit.ly/1bWpZgC

Dessert:

Dr. Kim - A Malaysian university awarded Kim Jong-un an honorary PhD in economics - in recognition of his “untiring efforts for the education of the country and the well-being of its people." Isaac Stone Fish at Foreign Policy has the story and the university’s surprising explanation of why they chose now for warmer ties with North Korea. http://atfp.co/1gISUuI

Adelson’s inner strangelove - Sheldon Adelson, a casino mogul and prominent conservative political donor, said on Tuesday that the U.S. should influence negotiations with Iran by first launching a nuclear strike on Iranian territory.

--“What I would say is, “Listen, you see that desert out there, I want to show you something.” You pick up your cellphone … and you call somewhere in Nebraska and you say, ‘O.K., let it go.’ So there’s an atomic weapon goes over, ballistic missiles, in the middle of the desert, that doesn’t hurt a soul. Maybe a couple of rattlesnakes, and scorpions, or whatever. Then you say: “See! The next one is in the middle of Tehran. So, we mean business. You want to be wiped out? Go ahead and take a tough position and continue with your nuclear development,” said Adelson. Robert Mackey of The New York Times has the story. http://nyti.ms/16vFy0o