Glistener: The Latest from Iran (17 April): Splitting Europe from the US Over Nukes and Sanctions

Tuesday, 17 April 2012

The Latest from Iran (17 April): Splitting Europe from the US Over Nukes and Sanctions

Europe's Catherine Ashton and Iran's Saeed Jalili0705 GMT: All-Is-Well Alert. Ahmad Saeedi of the Ministry of Culture assures, "Nowhere in the world is it as safe and calm as in Iran."

0515 GMT: Tough Talk of the Day. Alongside Tehran's spin on the nuclear issue, expect a lot of declarations of the Islamic Republic's strength today:

Units of the Iranian Army are staging parades on the occasion of the National Army Day to display their defensive and military capabilities and achievements. The country's latest indigenous military hardware including surface-to-surface missiles, drones and air defense systems will be on display during the parades in Iran's capital, Tehran.

Senior Iranian officials including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as well as a host of top military commanders are attending the ceremony.

0515 GMT: We begin with a note on the ongoing Iranian strategy, set out in yesterday's analysis, as the nuclear talks move from last weekend's opening session in Istanbul to the proposed gathering on 23 May in Baghdad.

Tehran is setting out the line, as the two sides discuss an agenda for Baghdad, that an easing of sanctions must precede any Iranian commitments over its enrichment of uranium to 20%. To achieve that, it is hoping to sweet-talk the Europeans --- as well as continuing to uphold China's supposed support of the Islamic Republic's approach --- while avoiding any reference to the US.

Thus Press TV's highlights a statement by Zohreh Elahian, a member of Parliament's National Security Committee, on Monday: "The powerful presence of the Iranian negotiators in Istanbul and the recognition of Iran's right to use peaceful nuclear energy by EU [European Union] foreign policy chief [Catherine] Ashton, is considered as a positive step in the process of negotiations.”

That article is accompanied by "China Voices Satisfaction with Progress in Iran-P5+1 Talks" and "Nation's Resolve Led to Recognition of Iran Nuclear Rights".