Will Obama go on offensive about loose war talk?
On the eve of Barack Obama’s speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, it’s an open question as to how the President plans to frame the Iran debate. At the Republican Convention last week, we heard loud and clear how Mitt Romney plans to differentiate himself from Obama: less talking to Iran, more talk about […]
Iran News Roundup: July 27, 2012
Iranian Increases Defense Capabilities in the Persian Gulf, Adds Anti-Ship Missiles Analysts say Iran has developed an arsenal of sophisticated anti-ship missiles in the Persian Gulf, and it has expanded its fleet of submarines and fast-attack boats to increase its defense capabilities (Washington Post 7/26). P5+1 Talks with Iran to Resume “Soon” EU foreign policy […]
Iran News Roundup: July 25, 2012
Romney Takes Hard Line on Iranian Enrichment At the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, Mitt Romney took a hardline on Iran’s nuclear program. “There must be a full suspension of any enrichment, whatsoever, period,” Romney said (Fox News 7/24). In a separate interview, Romney advisor Rich Williamson asserted that, “after the election… [President Obama] is […]
Iran News Roundup: July 24, 2012
Investigation into Burgas Bomber Continues Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, speaking alongside White House counter-terrorism chief John Brennan in Sofia, said the suicide bomber, who carried out an attack in Burgas last week, was part of a “sophisticated” group of conspirators, who arrived in Bulgaria one month before the attack. He declined to back Israeli […]
Iran News Roundup: 19 June 2012
Moscow Talks Concludes Talks concluded today with the parties agreeing to an “early follow-on technical-level meeting” in Istanbul on July 3rd, to be followed by a meeting at the deputy-level between the EU and Iran (Reuters 6/19). EU representative Catherine Ashton said the P5+1 remains “absolutely unified in seeking a swift diplomatic resolution to international […]
Iran News Roundup: 18 June 2012
Talks Resume in Moscow In what Reuters calls a “nervous atmosphere,” talks between the P5+1 and Iran resumed today in Moscow. A western diplomat said, “Ashton is willing to stay in Moscow as long as it takes,” although the climate inside the meetings was “tense and tough,” according to another unnamed Western source (Al-Monitor 6/18; Reuters […]