Iran Primer's Blog
U.S. Heralds European Sanctions on Iran
On July 1, the White House press secretary issued the following statement on the European Union’s new sanctions on Iranian oil, as they went into effect. Statement by the Press Secretary on European Union Actions on Iranian Oil The United States welcomes the European Union’s prohibition of…
White House Briefing on New U.S. Sanctions
On June 28, three senior Obama administration officials gave a briefing on the growing impact of international sanctions on Iran and the new U.S. sanctions on countries that import oil from the Islamic Republic. The following are key excerpts, with factual assessments in bold: Senior…
China Cuts Back Iran Oil Imports
On June 28, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued a waiver on China and Singapore from facing U.S. sanctions because both have now significantly cut back on their imports of Iranian oil. The following is her statement. Today I have made the determination that two additional countries, China…
What Happened when Putin and Netanyahu talked Iran?
Mark N. KatzOn Iran, what came out of the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel? What specifically did each leader want from the other?The Putin-Netanyahu summit made little progress in bridging vast differences between Russian and…
Clinton and Baker on Diplomacy v. War
On June 20, the State Department hosted a conversation on U.S. foreign policy between Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and former Secretary of State James Baker. The following are excerpts from the discussion, which was hosted by Charlie Rose. CLINTON: One of the real successes of…
Quotes from Iran nuclear talks June 18-19
The world’s six major powers held talks with Iran in Moscow on June 18 and 19. The following are comments from key parties to the talks. Six Major Powers European Union foreign policy chief Lady Catherine Ashton We set out our respective positions in what were detailed, tough and frank…
44 Senators Warn Obama on Iran Diplomacy
June 15, 2012 President Barack ObamaThe White House1600 Pennsylvania Ave NWWashington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We are writing to share our views about discussions between the Iranian government and the P5+1 over Iran’s nuclear program. We are concerned that, while the meetings held…
Hillary Clinton and Shimon Peres on Iran
On June 12, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Israeli President Shimon Peres held a public discussion in Washington on critical Middle East issues to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Brookings Institution’s Saban Center. The following is an excerpt about Iran from their discussion…
U.S. Waivers Seven Countries for Reducing Iran Oil
On June 11, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued the following statement on Significant Reductions of Iranian Crude Oil Purchases: Today I have made the determination that seven economies—India, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Taiwan--have all significantly…
U.S. and Iran Weigh in on Syria
On June 7, the United States and Iran both weighed in on the deteriorating situation in Syria. The following are officials states from the White House and the Iranian mission to the United Nations. White House Statement from the Office of the Press Secretary The United States…