0625 GMT: Sanctions Watch. State outlet Press TV tries the tactic this morning, "Sanctions are hurting them, not us". It headlines, from comments from a "senior Russian lawmaker", "Iran Oil Boycott to Severely Harm EU [European Union]", alongside the upbeat "Russian Deputy Minister: Iran, Our Valuable Energy Partner".
The most interesting claim is based on a Reuters story quoting French trade unionists: "The French auto-manufacturing group PSA Peugeot Citroen has suspended operations at one of its factories in northeastern France because of a halt to shipments of spare parts from Iran."
0615 GMT: We begin with what appears to be an increasingly serious development over the prospective Iranian talks on its nuclear programme with the 5+1 Powers (US, UK, France, Germany, Russia, and China), scheduled to begin next Friday.
The Islamic Republic has been pulling back from the tentative agreement to meet in Istanbul, and last night Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan lashed out at Tehran, raising a question mark over not only the venue but the talks themselves.
The offer going round at the moment, Damascus or Baghdad, is a waste of time, it means it won't happen, because they know the other side won't come to Damascus or Baghdad.
We have to be honest. Because of the lack of honesty they (the Iranians) are continually losing their international prestige," he said. "This is not the language of diplomacy. The name of this is something else, but I won't say it here.
Erdoğan's comments also point to a far-from-incidental side effect of Iran's manoeuvres. The Islamic Republic's relations with Turkey, which has been a key partner for Tehran amid escalating regional and international tension, have been damaged. And given the balance of play over the US-led sanctions --- Ankara said last week that it has cut imports of Tehran's oil by 20% --- that cannot be good for the Iranian regime.
Iran's leaders have not spoken about the latest issue over the nuclear talks, leaving it to MPs to push the Baghdad venue, and State media appears oblivious to the fallout. Instead, Press TV is assuring, "The Turkish foreign minister says there is no possibility that the religious decree of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei forbidding the possession and use of nuclear weapons might be disobeyed in Iran."
Posted via email from lissping
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.