http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10474143/Iran-nuclear-deal-changes-Middle-East-alliances-as-Saudi-Arabia-rebels-against-US.html
Iran nuclear deal changes Middle East alliances as Saudi Arabia rebels against US Saudi Arabia threatens to reappraise its entire foreign policy after America's nuclear deal with Iran [image: Iran nuclear deal changes Middle East alliances as Saudi Arabia rebels against US] Saudi newspapers headlining the deal made with major powers over Iran's disputed nuclear deal Photo: AFP By Damien McElroy <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/Damien_McElroy/>, David Blair and Peter Foster in Washington 9:01PM GMT 25 Nov 2013 *Saudi Arabia*<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/saudiarabia/> will adopt a "new defence doctrine" focused on resisting Iranian influence in the Middle East, a senior diplomatic adviser warned on Monday, after the nuclear deal struck with Tehran by six world powers including the US. As Britain urged the main regional powers to back the agreement, the Saudis offered their grudging support, with an official statement saying that it "could be a first step towards a comprehensive solution for Iran's nuclear programme, if there are good intentions". But the kingdom's rulers remain deeply suspicious of *Iran's*<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/> intentions - and almost equally wary of America's diplomacy, especially since they were kept in the dark about the secret US contacts with Iran that preceded the Geneva agreement. Nawaf Obaid, a counsellor to Prince Mohammad bin Nawaf, the Saudi Ambassador to London, accused America of dishonesty. "We were lied to, things were hidden from us," he said. "The problem is not with the deal struck in Geneva, but how it was done." The response, said Mr Obaid, would be a "new defence doctrine" based on containing Iran. Saudi Arabia "will be there to stop them wherever they are in Arab countries", he said. "We cannot accept Revolutionary Guards running round Homs [in Syria]." His comments reflect Saudi fears that America's overtures towards Iran could upset their own traditionally close alliance with Washington. Although Saudi Arabia has great wealth, its military strength is limited and its 75,000-strong army is barely a fifth of the size of Iran's - forcing the country to rely on America as the ultimate guarantor of its territorial security. "There is no absolute replacement for the US for Saudi Arabia as it casts around for allies, but there is a longer term project of looking to spread its focus," said Daniel Levy, the Middle East director of the European Council for Foreign Relations. Reflecting official opinion, Arab News, a Saudi newspaper, on Monday carried the main headline: "Nuclear deal sparks Iran hegemony fears." Saudi Arabia's worries are shared by Israel, which also believes that America is naive about the Iranian threat. But William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, told MPs that the Geneva agreement ensured that "elements of Iran's nuclear programme that are thought to present the greatest risk cannot make progress". He added: "If Iran implements the deal in good faith as it has undertaken to do, it cannot use these routes to move closer towards obtaining a nuclear weapons capability." He urged other countries to support the deal and warned against the consequences of undermining it. "We would discourage anybody in the world, including Israel, from taking any steps that would undermine this agreement," he said. Opposition to it remains a potential threat in the US, despite President Barack Obama's strong endorsement. In Washington, leading senators are preparing legislation that would restore the sanctions eased under the Geneva deal, if Iran reneges. Meanwhile the final text of the accord called into question a statement by John Kerry, the US secretary of state, after the talks concluded, when he said: "The first step does not say that Iran has a right to enrichment." In fact the document says that under the final comprehensive settlement beign aimed at, Iran would have a "mutually defined enrichment programme". For now, Iran may continue enriching uranium with its 10,000 operational centrifuges, providing it does not exceed the five per cent level needed for nuclear power stations, or add to the overall stockpile. This suggests that Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, was summarising accurately when he said: "This recognition is there - that Iran will have an enrichment programme." Hawks in the US Congress are also suspicious of the secret diplomacy that paved the way for the agreement. Oman hosted covert meetings between Iranian and US diplomats and Mr Kerry himself visited Oman in December 2011, one year before becoming secretary of state. "The White House thought they could strong-arm everyone else into a bad deal, which is why there is now very little in trust in Congress that the president will hold Iran's feet to the fire," said a senior Republican Senate aide. "That's why the consequences of failing to follow through on this deal – tougher sanctions – needs to be enshrined in law." Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, on Monday claimed that his influence during the two rounds of talks had prevented an even worse deal from being signed. "The international pressure which we applied was partly successful and has led to a better result than what was originally planned - but this is still a bad deal," he said. On 26 November 2013 22:34, Mohammad Imran <[email protected]> wrote: > With all this noise coming from Israel the real scene will be: > Israeli spies will be in Iran with the UN monitors. They will plant > destructive worms and viruses in Iranian nuclear facilities. They will also > have chance to recruit killers to remove Iranian nuclear scientists. > America will be providing help behind the scene. > > > > > On Nov 26, 2013, at 5:45 PM, Sukla Sen wrote: > > Pls. look up, for example: < > http://news.yahoo.com/israel-denounces-iranian-nuclear-deal-historic-mistake-101521379.html > >. > > Sukla > > > On 26 November 2013 16:30, Farhan Shaikh <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Its hard to believe that the Israelis (read Zionists) were "sidelined" in >> the whole process....is that really possible? >> >> If so, they surely missed out on all the action! >> >> >> Farhan >> >> >> On Mon, Nov 25, 2013 at 11:13 AM, Sukla Sen <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> [The deal has been arrived at apparently by sidelining the two closest >>> allies of the US in the region - Israel and Saudi Arabia.] Two-Track >>> Negotiations Led to Iran Nuclear Deal The U.S. Engaged Tehran Directly >>> for Years in a Clandestine Initiative Alongside Talks With Other World >>> Powers >>> http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304281004579218343099984808 >>> By >>> Carol E. Lee, >>> Jay Solomon and >>> Laurence Norman >>> >>> Nov. 24, 2013 10:59 p.m. ET >>> >>> The nuclear agreement between world powers and Iran is the product of >>> two separate diplomatic tracks, one top secret and the other widely >>> publicized—a risky gambit spearheaded by the White House that nearly >>> derailed the talks. >>> >>> For nearly five years, the White House drove a back-channel effort, >>> personally overseen by President Barack >>> Obama<http://topics.wsj.com/person/O/Barack-Obama/4328>, >>> which directly engaged Tehran and was concealed from Washington's closest >>> allies and even some senior U.S. officials. It ran alongside the formal >>> negotiations, known as the P5+1 talks, in which the U.S. and five other >>> countries negotiated with Iran. >>> >>> The White House's gamble culminated this past weekend in dramatic final >>> hours of talks defined by last-minute hiccups, lingering differences and a >>> surprise push by the Iranians to amend the agreement just a half-hour >>> before it was announced, according to Western diplomats involved. >>> >>> The secret negotiations created the foundation for the agreement. But >>> they also at times upset the effort, in particular on Nov. 7 during an >>> earlier round of talks, when the French were blindsided by the depths of >>> the parallel talks. >>> >>> The White House's clandestine effort illustrates how any deal to curb >>> Iran's nuclear program was always likely to be hatched from direct >>> U.S.-Iran talks. It also indicates how much Mr. Obama has riding on the >>> success of the pact, having made engagement with Iran a priority since he >>> took office. >>> >>> While U.S. officials secretly engaged Iran for years, the effort >>> significantly ramped up in early August after the U.S. delivered Mr. >>> Obama's first letter to Iran's new president, Hasan Rouhani. What followed >>> was a handful of meetings in secret locations between the Iranians and the >>> White House's top point-men: Deputy Secretary of State William Burns; Jake >>> Sullivan, Vice President Joe Biden's top foreign-policy adviser; and the >>> White House's Iran expert, Puneet Talwar. >>> >>> Mr. Burns, in particular, had been discussing the outlines of a deal >>> with Iran for months, senior U.S. officials said. >>> >>> The Wall Street Journal first reported earlier this month Mr. Talwar's >>> secret talks with the Iranians, as well as exchanges involving National >>> Security Adviser Susan Rice<http://topics.wsj.com/person/R/Susan-Rice/7113>. >>> The involvement of Messrs. Burns and Sullivan was reported Sunday by the >>> Associated Press and the website Al Monitor. >>> >>> The goal of the meetings was to develop elements of a deal and resolve >>> differences with Iran in ways that would ultimately define the broader >>> negotiations. >>> >>> Even Secretary of State John >>> Kerry<http://topics.wsj.com/person/K/John-Kerry/7196>, >>> before he joined the administration, was involved. On Dec. 8, 2011, he >>> quietly slipped out of Washington, missing a key Senate vote, to the Omani >>> capital of Muscat. It was a role Mr. Obama would have him continue as >>> secretary of state. >>> >>> Mr. Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, met in New York in >>> September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, and also >>> spoke Oct. 25 and Nov. 2, a senior administration official said. >>> >>> The parallel talks at one point created havoc. Earlier this month, >>> Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign-policy chief, was preparing >>> an interim accord that would grant Tehran sanctions relief in return for >>> suspending its nuclear program, according to Western diplomats. >>> >>> The U.S. arrived in Geneva with a document that fleshed out long-term >>> sticking points, issues like Iran's right to enrich uranium and the fate of >>> its main nuclear facilities. The language aimed to chart a path beyond the >>> interim accord toward a final agreement. >>> >>> France was aware the U.S. was negotiating directly but hadn't expected >>> those separate talks to yield what one diplomat called an "American text." >>> >>> A U.S. official said Iran and the U.S. had been sending documents back >>> and forth ahead of the Nov. 7 Geneva talks, but said there was no competing >>> text. Baroness Ashton knew about the process, as did other P5+1 members, >>> the U.S. official said. But France, which had long harbored skepticism >>> toward Tehran, may not have been informed about the details, the diplomat >>> said. >>> >>> French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius seized on what he considered a >>> gap in the U.S. text: No requirement that Iran halt construction of a >>> heavy-water reactor near Arak. If completed, the reactor would enable Iran >>> to produce plutonium to fuel a potential atomic bomb. Mr. Fabius broke with >>> his allies and appeared on French radio to warn the West of being duped by >>> a "fool's game." >>> >>> Those talks ended without a deal, pushing negotiators into another round >>> that began Nov. 20. The extension gave an opening to critics, including >>> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, raising the stakes for the White >>> House. >>> >>> Mr. Burns was in Geneva during the latest talks but not as a member of >>> the American delegation. He conducted his meetings with Iranian diplomats >>> from an undisclosed location nearby, although he also secretly joined the >>> talks at Geneva's Intercontinental Hotel. >>> >>> The U.S. official said confidence was at its lowest Thursday evening. >>> There was no major curve ball from Tehran, but its team had new demands on >>> how the text should be phrased. "That first night we ended early," the >>> official said. "The sense was people needed to think long and hard about >>> whether they were ready to do this." >>> >>> The decision of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to fly to Geneva >>> uninvited could have upset the talks. Baroness Ashton's spokesman pointedly >>> noted he hadn't yet been invited. But once he got to Geneva, he kept a low >>> profile, officials said. >>> >>> The disagreements were similar to those that had bedeviled talks all >>> through the process: how to handle Iran's Arak plutonium reactor, whether >>> Iran could claim a right to enrichment, and the extent of sanctions relief. >>> >>> A senior U.S. official said even at midnight Saturday Geneva time, a >>> deal seemed far from certain. >>> >>> Around 2:30 a.m. a senior member of the Iranian delegation called the EU >>> team saying Tehran needed one more amendment to the text, officials said. >>> The six foreign ministers decided the time for amendments had passed and >>> sent back the message that the text wouldn't change. The move didn't prove >>> a deal-breaker, and by 3 a.m. the sides were ready to announce a deal. >>> >>> Mr. Kerry spoke with Mr. Obama Saturday afternoon to walk the president >>> through the lingering issues. Late into Saturday evening U.S. time, as >>> American and Iranian officials went back and forth on language of the deal, >>> Mr. Obama personally signed off on the final draft. >>> >>> —Stacy Meichtry contributed to this article. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Peace Is Doable >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Peace Is Doable >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "The Moderates" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/the-moderates. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >>> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "The Moderates" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/the-moderates. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> > > > > -- > Peace Is Doable > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Moderates" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/the-moderates. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "The Moderates" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/the-moderates. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > -- Peace Is Doable -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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