UPDATED 11/2/09, 4:30PM
There has been a flurry of recent developments concerning Iran and we want to share with you some of the most relevant news articles, specifically as they relate to current legislation and international sanctions. What have you been reading? Leave us a comment! We will continue to update this post as the situation develops. For more information, see our Iran Special Resources Page.
The second round of negotiations between officials from the United States, Russia,
France and Mohamed
ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), concluded
in Vienna on
October 21, 2009.
The plan drafted by the U.N. (Reuters,
10/29/09) would require Iran to ship about 75% of its known 1.5 tons of
low-enriched uranium to Russia in one year for further processing, after which
the material would be shipped to France in order to be converted into fuel
plates. These would then be returned to Iran for use in a reactor to make
medical isotopes.
If Iran's
estimated stockpile of nuclear fuel is correct, the plan would leave Iran
with too little fuel to construct a weapon without replenishing its supply. According to Haaretz,
it would take Iran at least
a year to produce enough material to make up for the amount exported, which
would provide the international community with a window of time in which to
convince Iran
to freeze its enrichment program.
Iran missed
the original deadline to respond to this proposal (The New York
Times, 10/23/09) two days after
the conclusion of the negotiations. Several days later, Iran gave an
initial response to the IAEA's plan, presenting several significant changes. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in
a speech that his country would not give up "one
iota" on its rights to a nuclear program (Reuters, 10/29/09).
One of Iran's key amendments to the plan would be to ship
its low-enriched uranium abroad in several smaller stages as opposed to one
large shipment, according
to an Iranian pro-government newspaper (Haaretz,
10/29/09). Another revision called for a
"simultaneous exchange," in which Iran
would receive fuel to be used in a research reactor in Tehran at the same time as it exports LEU
abroad.
"If the Iranian position is as described, it gets the
IAEA nowhere," a western diplomat in Vienna
said. "They are undercutting Mohamed ElBaradei, who is seeking to help
them demonstrate the peaceful intent of their nuclear program."
State department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "We still need to
hear a formal response from Iran."
According to the Associated Press, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki's answer to
whether Iran has officially refused the nuclear deal remains, simply, "No."
However, when further questioned about U.S. Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton's statement that Western powers are growing impatient with Iran's lack of
response, Mottaki replied: "Really?"
Internal turmoil also continues regarding the contested
presidential election last June. The opposition movement is calling for a day
of protest on November 4th, which marks the 30th
anniversary of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in 1979. This day is recognized
annually with anti-American rallies in Iran. The
New York Times has more - be sure to watch for developments as the week
unfolds.
For more news on Iran, check out:
Rebecca Blake Chaikin is a former Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. She currently serves on the Union for Reform Judaism's Resolutions Committee. 
We're here in Toronto for the Union for Reform Judaism's 70th Biennial Convention, where, on Wednesday, the URJ's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to support the Affordable Health Care for America Act. 
