Iran Takes Stand On Nuclear Deal Heavy water Provision That Clashes With U.S. View.

Iran Takes Stand On Nuclear Deal Heavy water Provision That Clashes With U.S. View. (rferl).

Iran is questioning a provision of its nuclear deal with world powers in a way that could lead to confrontation with the United States.

The 2015 deal restricts Iran from accumulating a large stock of heavy water, which is used in scientific research as well as in nuclear reactors that produce plutonium.

Iran has been producing heavy water in large quantities and has already exceeded a prescribed 130-ton limit on its stock twice.

Tehran defused a standoff with Washington over the issue in December by shipping excess water to Oman, where it is being stored until a buyer can be found.

In a letter to the United Nations nuclear watchdog made public on March 17, Iran is arguing that the deal does not require it to ship excess water out of the country if it can't immediately find buyers.

The deal only says all excess water "will be made available for export to the international market based on international prices and delivered to the international buyer," Tehran argued.


But the Trump White House has taken a tough stand on strictly enforcing the nuclear deal and the United States last week told the UN that "any excess heavy water...cannot remain in Iran."

Video - Hamas Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. State Dep: 'This Will Lead to Global Instability… Will Affect World Peace'

Video - Hamas Designated Global Terrorist by the U.S. State Dep: 'This Will Lead to Global Instability… Will Affect World Peace'

'Arch-liar' Pal pres. Abbas writes to Pope Francis: 'we condemn anyone who justifies terror with religion'.

'Arch-liar' Pal pres. Abbas writes to Pope Francis: 'we condemn anyone who justifies terror with religion'. (Fides).

“We are horrified at the barbarous attack on the church of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in which we lost the parish priest Jacques Hamel.

On behalf of the State of Palestine and the Palestinian people, we condemn the vile and hateful terrorist attack and any justification anyone dare give in the name of religion for these crimes against humanity ”. 

These words were part of a letter of condolence sent by Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas to Pope Francis, the successor of Saint Peter following the heinous murder of the elderly priest whose throat was cut by two terrorists as he celebrated mass in the church of Saint Etienne du Rouvray, near Rouen.

“We will stand always shoulder to shoulder” we read in the presidential missive sent to Fides, “to spread love, mercy and justice, overcome hatred and extremism and promote justice and peace for the whole of humanity”.






The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of the Holy Land yesterday sent a message of condolence to the Church in France and to all the French people. “From the Holy Land which continues to suffer from violence and instability” says the message, made public by the official media of the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, “we raise our voices, urging an end to the use of violence in the name of religion and instead, to use religion as the path to promote mutual respect and understanding among all nations.”

The Catholic Bishops of the Holy Land continued “we believers, need to pray to the Almighty to keep all people united and together cooperate for an end to all kinds of terrorism and that world leaders be inspired to act wisely and decisively to uproot terrorism and its causes in all of the regions now suffering from this plague”.

Drone over N. Israel: Iranian with 'stolen' US apps, reversed engineering of Downed US ScanEagle.

Drone over N. Israel: Iranian with Donated 'stolen'  US apps, reversed engineering of Downed US ScanEagle.  (Debka).

The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) that flew on July 17 over northern Israel was a “Yasir” drone made in Iran that was launched from a Hezbollah base in Syria’s Qalamoun Mountains, some 60km from central Golan. This is reported by DEBKAfile military and intelligence sources.

The Yasir can reach an altitude of 5,000 feet, operate in a 200km radius and stay aloft for 8 hours, as reported by Tabnak and translated by IFP.

The Israeli website says there is no information as to whether it was launched by an Iranian or a Hezbollah team.

This UAV displayed exceptional maneuverability, unlike most drones, since it is believed to the advanced US electronic systems installed by reverse engineering of the American US ScanEagle drone that was downed intact over Iran on Dec. 17, 2012.

The Israeli website’s military and intelligence sources say this fundamental upgrade was carried out under the instruction of Chinese cyber warfare specialists.

The IDF, the Israeli air force and other western armies, including the US Air Force, are anxiously trying to find out how many replicas of the purloined US ScanEagle the Iranians have been able to manufacture.

On October 2013, when Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev, the Russian Air Force Commander, visited Tehran, the Iranians made him a gift of a drone into which the sophisticated US electronic systems were implanted. Read the full story here.

Iran’s Navy Ready to Sink US Warships in Persian Gulf: IRGC Commander

Iran’s Navy Ready to Sink US Warships in Persian Gulf: IRGC Commander. (IFN).

“In the Navy, we have very good conditions. Today, we are ready to seize the ships that trespass on the Persian Gulf and send the US warships into the depths of the Persian Gulf thanks to the power of our Navy,” General Jafari said in an address to a group of IRGC Navy commanders in Mashhad.

“Certain countries in the region like Saudis have joined the group of Iran’s clear enemies, spending large sum of money to spread insecurity in the country,” he went on to say.

“These days, huge prices are paid for creating insecurity in Iran; however, the enemies’ hostile plots have thus far been foiled thanks to the full preparedness of Iranian armed forces.” Read the full story here.

Anti-Semitic incidents in the United States up more than 60%.

Anti-Semitic incidents in the United States up more than 60%. (INN).

Anti-Semitic incidents on American college campuses nearly doubled in 2015, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported in an audit released on Wednesday, according to JTA.

In addition, the number of anti-Semitic assaults across the country increased by more than 60 percent last year, the organization's audit found.

A total of 90 incidents were reported on 60 college campuses last year, compared with 47 incidents on 43 campuses in 2014. Campus anti-Semitic incidents accounted for 10 percent of the total.

In one incident in January, swastikas were spray-painted on the exterior wall of a Jewish fraternity at the University of California, Davis, on the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz from the Nazis.

The ADL audit recorded a total of 941 anti-Semitic incidents in the United States in 2015, an increase of three percent from 2014.

56 of the incidents were assaults, the most violent category recorded in the audit, up from the 36 reported the year before.

These assaults included attacks on visibly Jewish men as they returned home from synagogue in New York and Florida, and a kippah-wearing high school student in Denver who was struck with a rock by an assailant who also called him "Jewboy" and "kike."

The ADL audit is the latest confirmation of the rising numbers of anti-Semitic incidents around the world and specifically in the United States, which has not been immune from the phenomenon.

“We are disturbed that violent anti-Semitic incidents are rising,” Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL's CEO, said in a statement about the audit quoted by JTA. “And we know that for every incident reported, there’s likely another that goes unreported. So even as the total incidents have remained statistically steady from year to year, the trend toward anti-Semitic violence is very concerning.” Read the full story here.

U.S. Spends More on Medical Care for Inmates than for Seniors, Veterans, Military Personnel.

U.S. Spends More on Medical Care for Inmates than for Seniors, Veterans, Military Personnel. HT: JudicialWatch.

President Obama has repeatedly demonstrated that there’s an extra special place in his heart for incarcerated criminals, but this is a bit much.

The administration spends a lot more money on the medical care of jailed convicts than retired seniors on Medicare, active U.S. military personnel or veterans, including an extra $100 million in one year alone, according to a federal audit released this month.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) consistently pays outside doctors and hospitals more to treat inmates than Medicare or other federal agencies would pay for the same services, according to the report which is the result of a Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General investigation.

“We found that the BOP is the only federal agency that pays for medical care that is not covered under a statute or regulation under which the government sets the agency’s reimbursement rates, usually at the Medicare rate,” the report states. “Instead, the BOP solicits and awards a comprehensive medical services contract for each BOP institution to obtain outside medical services.”


This means the BOP negotiates its own rates for medical services, which is outrageous and ends up costing American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars annually. Read the full story here.

Uranium Particles Found by IAEA in Iran Prove Work on Nuclear Weapon in the past.

Uranium Particles Found by IAEA in Iran Prove Work on Nuclear Weapon in the past. (SP).

Uranium traces discovered by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Parchin laboratory in Iran in 2015 point to the existence of earlier work on the development of nuclear weapons, a US media outlet reported, citing Washington officials.

In September 2015, IAEA experts found "chemically man-made particles of natural uranium" at Parchin military complex from soil and air samples collected at the site.

"The existence of two particles of uranium there would be consistent with our understanding of the involvement of Parchin in a past weapons program, but by themselves don’t definitively prove anything," the Wall Street Journal cited a US senior official as saying.

On July 14, Iran and the P5+1 group consisting of Russia, the United States, China, the United Kingdom, France and Germany signed a historic deal to guarantee the peaceful nature of Tehran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

The same day, Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) and the IAEA signed a roadmap for the clarification of possible military aspects of Iran's past and present nuclear activities, including at the controversial Parchin military facility. Hmmmm.........

Related: July 2015 :

Why is the Obama 'Admin' parroting the Iranians their nuclear proposals?


1.June 09 : Iran: "You know that nuclear triggering technology we worked on....Lets just fugetaboutit, those are bygones." (Taz).

After 12 years of cooperation with IAEA, past issues related to Iran ’s nuclear case should be abandoned, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said.

Video - Sean Hannity Contrasts Obama’s Praise of Islam with His Criticism of Christianity.

Video - Sean Hannity Contrasts Obama’s Praise of Islam with His Criticism of Christianity. Read he full story here.

HANNITY: He won’t say “radical Islam.” You heard his comments about Islam, terrible deeds in the name of Christ.

GORKA: Horrific! What nation are we? Who were the Founding Fathers? What Creator are they referring to in our founding documents? Are they referring to Allah or some nameless blob? No. They’re referring to the God of the New Testament.


HANNITY: Judeo-Christian values.

If Other Side Tears It Up, Iran Will Burn JCPOA: Khamenei.

If Other Side Tears It Up, Iran Will Burn JCPOA: Khamenei. (Iranfrontpage).

Speaking in a meeting with the heads of the three branches of the Iranian government and the country’ senior officials in Tehran on Tuesday, June 14, the Leader pointed to the threats by some US presidential hopefuls to scrap last year’s nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), saying the Islamic Republic would respond strongly to such a move.

“We will not violate the JCPOA, but if the opposite side violates it – as US presidential candidates are currently threatening to tear up the JCPOA – if they tear up the JCPOA, we will burn it,” the Leader stated, as reported by Press TV.

Referring to the vigorous debate within the country which has surrounded the issue, Khamenei defined his message as being aimed solely at foreign parties, as highlighted by Mehr. “On the JCPOA, both proponents and opponents have engaged in frenetic activity opposing or defending the deal; I directly address foreign parties to the deal and not our negotiators on this issue.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said the US has so far failed to fulfil a major part of its obligations under the JCPOA, while Iran has abided by its commitments, such as regarding its 20% uranium enrichment as well as constraints regarding the Fordow and Arak nuclear facilities.

“Under the JCPOA, the other side was duty-bound to [fully] lift the sanctions, which it has not done. The banking issues have not been solved. The issue of the insurance of oil tankers has been implemented only at a limited level,” the Leader said. “The oil payment and our assets which we have in other countries are not returned to us.”

The Leader emphasized that it is a “misconception that we [the Islamic Republic] can come to terms with the US. We cannot rely on illusions.”

Ayatollah Khamenei said Washington’s issue with Iran is the very existence of the Islamic Republic, which cannot be negotiated.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader also warned of enemy plots to hinder Iran’s progress. “The agenda of the enemy today is to stop or eliminate the capabilities of the Islamic Republic, or at least to prevent their growth,” Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.

The Leader also stressed the importance of increasing the country’s capabilities.

“I have often reiterated that the country must grow in power and that we must increase our potential,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated, adding that it is only then that Iranian officials can expect the nation to have peace of mind.

Video - Iranian Lawmakers: U.S. Must Compensate Iran for Damages Caused over Six Decades

Dubai law firm offers job to Obama so he can learn more about tolerance of Islam.

Dubai law firm offers job to Obama so he can learn more about tolerance of Islam. (Gulfnews).

An Emirati lawyer has offered the US President Barack Obama a job in his law firm in Dubai in an attempt to familiarise him with the tolerance of Islam.

"To get closely acquainted with the meaning of tolerance of Islam," tweeted Emirati lawyer Eisa Bin Haidar on Sunday as he offered to hire Obama in his firm and to live in Dubai once his presidential tenure expires soon.

📍
President Obama

I offer you a job in my office
Salary housing tickets and travel to Arab countries

— المحامي عيسى بن حيدر (@advocateisa) May 15, 2016

As of Monday, Obama has 248 days left in office — a newly-elected US president starts official duties on January 20, 2017.

In another tweet addressing Obama, advocate Haidar tweeted "President Obama, I offer you a job in my office, salary, housing, tickets and travel to Arab countries".

When asked by Gulf News about his tweets, Bin Haidar said: “A faction of the American and western media has constantly profiled Islam as a religion of terror and categorized Muslims as terrorists. Well that is absolutely not true. Islam is a religion of tolerance, understanding, forgiveness and acceptance … it is not a religion of terror and Muslims are not terrorists.

"The only way for westerners to accept and understand Islam and Muslims is to come and live with us and amongst us. Once he [Obama] leaves his office at the White House, I offer President Obama to work in my law firm and then he would come and live amongst Arabs and Muslims and learn the exact meaning of tolerance.”

The best way for others to understand the true meaning of tolerance in Islam is for them to mingle with and socialise more with Muslims in this region, said Bin Haidar.

In the same context, he also tweeted in Arabic "I know my offer is a little bit weird, but you [Obama] have to live with Muslims to know them closely and away from political theatrics which are being spearheaded by the US".

Video - IRGC Navy Commander: U.S. Vessels Will Be Sunk in Persian Gulf If They Make the Slightest Mistake

Video - 'Peacefull & Moderate' Iran showing off it's Underground Silo based launchers in new video.

Iran’s military recently publicized a third underground missile facility and showed the launch of a new ballistic missile through the top of a mountain. Read the full story here.

Video: Flashback 2015 - Iranian Journalist Amir Taheri: 'There is no Iran Nuclear Deal'

Ahmadinejad’s Office Reacts to Accusations over US Seizure of Iranian Assets.

Ahmadinejad’s Office Reacts to Accusations over US Seizure of Iranian Assets. (IranFrontpage).

The office of Iran’s ex-president has reacted to the recent criticisms against Ahmadinejad’s government over the mistakes that have allegedly led to a recent US court ruling to seize Iran’s assets.

Since the recent move by the US to confiscate nearly $2bn of Iranian assets in order to give it to the families of the victims and survivors of 1983 Beirut bombing, Iranian media has been covering the issue from two perspectives. The conservatives have been blaming the incumbent administration of President Hassan Rouhani and have criticized the government’s excessive optimism towards the West (the US in particular).

On the other hand, the pro-government and reformist media, while strongly condemning the move by the US Supreme Court, have been pinning the blame on the former government for their purchases of US bonds in spite of the hostile relations at the time between Tehran and Washington.

Among the critics who have blamed the former administration are the current Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Valiollah Seif, as well as the former CBI Chief Tahmasb Mazaheri, two of the most important figures in finance.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Public Relations Department of the office of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the ex-president, rejected these criticisms and claimed that Rouhani’s government has made the country seem weak enough for the US to dare to make such a move.

Here is IFP’s translation of excerpts from the statement published by the website of Ahmadinejad’s office.

The recent move by the authoritarian US government … has become a new pretext for [Iranian] statesmen and political and media figures close to them to attack the former government. 

The US administration has looted the Iranian nation’s assets in the current year and under the incumbent government, while the pretext for which the court ruling was issued dates back to 1983. It is not clear why, and for what hidden motivation, this cruel move by the US is being attributed to Ahmadinejad’s government. 

They have claimed the managers of Iran’s Central Bank during the previous government were not careful enough, and should not have trusted in the international rules and regulations governing the global banking ties. They claim such trust has resulted in the assets seizure this year. 

The US government did not dare to encroach upon the Iranian nation’s resources at that time, because the government of Ahmadinejad always behaved in a wise way and maintained the country’s honour and dignity. 

The Iranian nation, however, has been portrayed as a weak nation in the international arena in recent years, and this has emboldened US statesmen. So the question is: isn’t this the reason behind the recent “plunder”? 

The money was stolen right at the time when the Iranian foreign minister was in the US, holding private, long, secret, and repeated meetings with his US counterpart. Isn’t the seizure of assets related to the meetings and the topics discussed by the two? Isn’t this the continuation of a long-running drama to humiliate the Iranian nation and government? 

The incumbent government says that Ahmadinejad’s cabinet members should not have trusted the Americans, or even in international rules and regulations. If that is true, why did they curb, dismantle, and shut down the country’s nuclear program, including facilities that were worth almost $30bn, based on the US Secretary of State John Kerry’s ambiguous promises without any guarantees? 

The government’s trust in US statesmen and their promises, and the subsequent weakening of Iran’s international position in the past three years have led to a sharp drop in the Iranian nation’s most valuable asset, crude oil, from $105 to $35. 

If this remains unchanged, almost $150m a day and almost $55bn a year will be picked from Iran’s pocket and given to the negotiating sides [from the nuclear talks] or their allies. 

People expect the government to avoid illogically pinning the blame on others, accept their own responsibilities, try to pursue the issue, and reclaim the nation’s rights.

Quoting materials from Iran Front Page is permitted only if the source is mentioned by name.

US Seizure of Iran’s Assets is “Blatant Theft”: President Rouhani

US Seizure of Iran’s Assets is “Blatant Theft”: President Rouhani. (IranFrontpage).

Here are Rouhani’s remarks, as reported by the President’s website and translated by IFP.

“That a court or legislature in another part of the world would make decisions about the Iranian nation’s rights and property is totally illegal and in contradiction of international laws, based on which central banks are legally immune in all parts of the world,” Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

“No thief can be proud of his or her theft and think that the stolen properties are his or hers,” the Iranian president stressed, telling Americans to understand that Iran’s property cannot be looted.

Such pressures and illegal rulings by the US judiciary and congress are “International theft and a legal scandal” for the US, he noted, expressing surprise over an “unprecedented” move by the US Congress to put the judiciary under pressure over the issue.

Rouhani stressed that, in politics, the US move means the continuation of hostilities against the Iranian nation, and vowed to resist the incorrect verdict and reclaim the country’s rights.

“These assets belong to the Iranian nation, and any encroachment upon them is considered hostile and illegal,” he added, emphasizing that the Americans will not be able to use the assets without facing repercussions.

Quoting materials from Iran Front Page is permitted only if the source is mentioned by name.

Israel sees support by US congressmen pushing for more US military aid as a vindication

Israel sees support by US congressmen pushing for more US military aid as a vindication.  (JPost).

Likud ministers and MKs close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed satisfaction Monday with 83 US senators writing a letter to US President Barack Obama urging him to quickly approve a new defense aid package for Israel worth more than the current $3.1 billion per year.

Obama has reportedly agreed to raise the package to $4b., but Congress wants him to go higher.

“There is wide support for Israel’s security needs, crossing camps in the Senate and among the American people,” said Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, who has become Netanyahu’s closest political ally.

“The letter proves relations are strong, and attempts to paint our relations as if they are in crisis are wrong. The reality is very different.”

“All those who have blabbered about international isolation should stop lying to the public,” Boker said. “Unfortunately, there are still people in Israel who believe Israel must fit itself to the demands of its allies instead of acting out of Israel’s national interests.”

Kulanu MK Michael Oren, a former ambassador to the US, suggested that the senators who signed the letter understand Israel’s security needs better than Obama. He mocked the US president for saying in Germany that the current era is “the most peaceful, most prosperous, most progressive era in human history.”

“President Obama’s claim that the world is more peaceful will not reassure the citizens of the Middle East, hundreds of thousands of whom have been murdered and millions displaced,” Oren said. “Israel is dealing with many significant security challenges in the heart of the Middle East, and I’m glad that this has been recognized by the 83 senators who signed the letter.” Read the full story here.

Netanyahu to Putin: Israel Will Keep Golan “With or Without Deal”

Netanyahu to Putin: Israel Will Keep Golan “With or Without Deal”. (JN).

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Russian President Vladimir Putin during a face to face meeting in Moscow on Thursday that Israel would not relinquish the Golan Heights. The meeting marked 25 years of Israeli-Russian relations.

“Israel has clear red lines for self-defense,” Netanyahu told Putin according to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office. “We act to the best of our ability to prevent the transfer of advanced weaponry from Iran and Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon,” he said.

“I came here with one central goal: to strengthen the security coordination between us in order to prevent accidents, misunderstandings, and unnecessary conflict,” Netanyahu told Putin.

“As for the Golan Heights,” Netanyahu continued, “we will not return to the days when they fired on our communities and children from the heights of the Golan. Therefore, with or without a deal, the Golan Heights will remain under Israeli sovereignty.”

After Putin offered a blessing for the Jewish holiday of Passover, which begins on Friday night, Netanyahu replied that “during the holiday, the people of Israel will sit at the Seder table, including over a million Russian-speaking Israelis, who form the living bond between our peoples.” Read the full story here.

North Korea and Iran exchanging mutual advance in 'Nuclear?' missile technology.

North Korea and Iran exchanging mutual advance in 'Nuclear?' missile technology. (WaTi).

The Iranian nuclear “deal” just keeps getting better; it’s the gift that keeps on giving in a morbid sort of way. Tal Inbar of Israel’s Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, while testifying at a congressional hearing on the “ballistic axis,” a reference to Iran’s and North Korea’s space program, said that a solid rocket engine tested in March by North Korea was built with technology acquired from Iran. 

 North Korea has also made significant progress is ballistic missile technology. The analyst stressed that North Korean advances in missile technology were also being shared back with the Islamic Republic, reported UPI.

So not only is Iran thumbing its nose at the Iranian nuclear deal negotiated by the Obama administration by openly and routinely testing ballistic missiles, it is sharing this technology with the unstable regime of North Korea, which just so happens to be routinely threatening the United States with nuclear destruction. Hmmm........High crimes and misdemeanors. Read the full story here.