Tuesday’s meeting in Riyadh between King Salman and Pakistan’s top military commander will revive speculation of a secret nuclear agreement to counter any Iranian nuclear threat. The visit by the chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee will likely prompt concern in Washington and other major capitals that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have reconfirmed… Keep reading →
The temporary and limited changes to U.S. and European Union (“EU”) sanctions policy for Iran, as agreed under the interim nuclear deal reached by Iran and the P5 + 1 countries, have been extended until June 30, 2015. Most U.S. and EU sanctions on Iran remain in place and will continue to be enforced. Until June 30, 2015, non-U.S. individuals and companies (unless U.S. owned or controlled) will not face U.S. sanctions enforcement if they engage in specified transactions relating to: (a) the export of Iranian petrochemical products, (b) the provision of goods and services for Iran’s auto industry, (c) the sale of gold and precious metals to or from Iran, and (d) the provision of insurance and transport services associated with sales of Iranian oil to six specified countries. The U.S. government has continued the favorable licensing policy for the provision of goods and services to Iran’s civil aviation industry by U.S. persons, U.S. owned/controlled foreign entities and non-U.S. persons. The U.S. also is taking steps to facilitate certain humanitarian and medical trade with Iran, payment of UN dues and support for Iranians studying abroad.
Implementing a nuclear agreement will be no easier than reaching one, and Washington will have little influence over what Iran decides to do over time about the deal. Reaching a nuclear deal with Iran is proving to be tough, as evidenced by the seven-month extension of talks agreed to on Monday. But negotiating an agreement… Keep reading →
While the purpose of multilateral negotiations with Iran is to reduce proliferation concerns, successful talks may in fact accelerate nuclear plans in the Gulf states and Jordan. In April 2009, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia famously told U.S. special envoy Dennis Ross that “if [the Iranians] get nuclear weapons, we will get nuclear weapons.” Such… Keep reading →
As the Iran deadline approaches, violence flares up in Jerusalem, and respective election cycles ebb and flow, U.S. and Israeli officials will need to work harder than ever to manage bilateral tensions. In the coming weeks, a number of foreign and domestic developments will affect U.S. and Israeli policy, with each potentially testing the already… Keep reading →
At present, Iran is unlikely to accept more limitations on its nuclear activities, but that doesn’t mean Washington has to settle for a watered-down deal that further damages U.S. strategic interests. The Obama administration appears headed toward a nuclear agreement that will do little more than memorialize the limited Iranian concessions made in last year’s… Keep reading →
