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Bible Quotation For Today/ ‘Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house
Saint Luke 11/14-23: "Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the demon had gone out, the one who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.’ Others, to test him, kept demanding from him a sign from heaven. But he knew what they were thinking and said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself becomes a desert, and house falls on house. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? for you say that I cast out the demons by Beelzebul. Now if I cast out the demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his castle, his property is safe. But when one stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away his armour in which he trusted and divides his plunder. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters."

Bible Quotation For Today/It was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you
Acts of the Apostles 17/01-12: "After Paul and Silas had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures,
explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, ‘This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you.’ Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women. But the Jews became jealous, and with the help of some ruffians in the market-places they formed a mob and set the city in an uproar. While they were searching for Paul and Silas to bring them out to the assembly, they attacked Jason’s house. When they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some believers before the city authorities, shouting, ‘These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has entertained them as guests. They are all acting contrary to the decrees of the emperor, saying that there is another king named Jesus.’ The people and the city officials were disturbed when they heard this, and after they had taken bail from Jason and the others, they let them go. That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas off to Beroea; and when they arrived, they went to the Jewish synagogue. These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, including not a few Greek women and men of high standing."

LCCC Latest analysis, editorials from miscellaneous sources published on July 15-16/15
Iran Nuclear Deal Makes War More Likely/by Efraim Inbar/BESA Center Perspectives/July 15/15
Rohani In Address To the Iranians:The Superpowers Have Recognized A Nuclear Iran/MEMRI/15 July/15
Deal Reached on Iranian Nuclear Program, While Religious Persecution Remains Rampant and Americans are in Prison/Todd Daniels/July 15/15
Nuclear deal pushes Israel aside in Washington, raises Iran to leading US partner and ally/DEBKAfile/July 15/15
Knesset Defense panel: Iran Deal has negative impact on Israel's security/LAHAV HARKOV/J.Post/July 15/15
Zarif scoffs at 'Netanyahu's uproar' over Iran nuclear deal/JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS/July 15/15
Ehud Barak: Israel can live with a nuclear Iran/JPOST/July 15/15
The agreement of the brave/Orly Azoulay /Ynetnews/July 15/15
The Deal with Iran: How to Make Lemonade out of Lemons/ Alexander H. Joffe/The Times of Israel/July 15/15
Does this Deal Prevent Iran from Developing a Nuclear Weapon/Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute/July 15/15

LCCC Bulletin itles for the Lebanese Related News published on July 15-16/15
Lebanese Presidential Elections Postponed to August 12 over Lack of Quorum
Salam Says Christians Not Satisfied with FPM's Actions
Berri Says New Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Proposals on Track of Implementation
March 14 Congratulates Iran 'Reformists', Hopes Deal Curbs 'Hizbullah Behavior'
Lebanese Officials Have Mixed Reactions to Nuclear Deal
Kidnappers of Bank Manager Demand $500 Thousand Ransom
Lebanese Army Seizes Cars Filled with Weapons after Clash on Riyaq Road
1 Dead, 3 Hurt as Personal Dispute Erupts into Gunfire in Qabrshmoun
Suspect Admits to Court that al-Asir Moved between Sidon and Ain el-Hilweh
Democratic Gathering, Residents Reject Any Extension of Naameh Landfill Deadline
Man Fakes his own Kidnapping to Cover Embezzlement
FPM Supporters in New Motorized Protest from Baouchrieh to Tabaris

Lebanese Presidential Elections Postponed to August 12 over Lack of Quorum
Naharnet/ July 15/15/The presidential elections were postponed on Wednesday for the 26th time following a lack of quorum at parliament. Speaker Nabih Berri postponed the polls to August 12. Head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora later condemned the ongoing vacuum in the presidency, saying: “The election of a head of state is key to ending the Lebanese people's problems and waiting for developments here and there is not helpful.” “We failed as Lebanese to elect a president due to the policies of obstruction adopted by some sides,” he added from parliament. “The election of a president will bring the Lebanese together and not act as a divider between them,” he went on to say. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor. Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise presidential candidate have thwarted the polls. The Loyalty to the Resistance bloc of Hizbullah and the Change and Reform bloc of MP Michel Aoun have been boycotting the elections.

Salam Says Christians Not Satisfied with FPM's Actions
Naharnet/ July 15/15/Prime Minister Tammam Salam has expressed confidence that Lebanon's Christians were not satisfied with the protests led by the Free Patriotic Movement of MP Michel Aoun against him. “ I am sure through the reactions I have heard that the Christians were not satisfied with what the FPM did,” Salam, told his visitors, according to al-Joumhouria daily published on Wednesday. “For example, many (officials who are) friends with Aoun telephoned me to say they support me,” said Salam. A cabinet session that was held last Thursday became stormy after Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, who is Aoun's son-in-law, began talking about the infringement on the Christian president’s powers in the absence of a head of state. The tension between Salam and Bassil was accompanied by a protest by FPM supporters near the Grand Serail where the session was underway. The FPM claims that it is working for the restoration of Christian rights. Salam vowed to stop Lebanon from entering “the circle of danger.”“I will oversee the government's work until we all reach our objective to elect a new president,” he told his visitors. Differences between the March 8 and 14 alliances have left Baabda Palace vacant since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014. The presidential vacuum has caused the paralysis of parliament and led to deep divisions among cabinet ministers. Salam asked himself whether he was responsible for the current stalemate, but said: “I tried in vain to avert the problem.” “I held onto the consensus mechanism on taking decisions to avoid voting, and so that all parties participate in decision-making,” he said. Despite the stormy session last week, the cabinet reached a compromise that allowed Salam to pass one item on the agenda, while the FPM ministers received a pledge to discuss the government’s decision-making mechanism at a session next Thursday.

Berri Says New Hizbullah-Mustaqbal Proposals on Track of Implementation
Naharnet/ July 15/15/Speaker Nabih Berri revealed that Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal Movement have made “new proposals” that would be on track to be implemented. Berri, whose remarks were published in several local newspapers on Wednesday, told his visitors that the two parties' officials “made new suggestions on a win-win basis” during their latest round of talks. The officials met on Monday under Berri's sponsorship in Ain el-Tineh. Following the talks, the conferees issued a terse statement saying they “discussed the political and security developments, the work of constitutional institutions and the steps needed to be taken in that regard.” The statement added that the two sides agreed to “consolidate dialogue between all factions to resolve current matters.”But officials told al-Mustaqbal daily on Tuesday that the 15th round of talks between them failed to reach a breakthrough on controversial issues. Berri's remarks appeared to be a swift response to the claim made by the officials. The dialogue between Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal was launched in December to reduce sectarian tension linked to the war in neighboring Syria. They have so far agreed on the implementation of security plans to arrest outlaws and on the removal of party slogans and banners in several cities. The speaker, who heads the Amal Movement that is allied with Hizbullah, was asked by his visitors about the historic accord struck on Tuesday by Iran, the United States, and five other world powers. “Lebanon should be the first to benefit from it,” Berri said. Hizbullah-backer “Iran became the international community's big partner and made a clear diplomatic gain … This equation means it gained,” he told his visitors. “One of the repercussions of the deal is that Iran will become a partner in the war on terror … Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are fighting terrorism too,” he added.

March 14 Congratulates Iran 'Reformists', Hopes Deal Curbs 'Hizbullah Behavior'
Naharnet/ July 15/15/The March 14 General Secretariat on Wednesday congratulated the Iranian people, especially the “reformist movement,” on the nuclear deal that was reached with world powers, hoping the agreement will lead to Hizbullah's “return to the Lebanese state.”“The General Secretariat congratulates the friendly Iranian people, and the reformist movement, which has triumphed through managing to shift Iran from investing in the 'export of the revolution' and sponsoring violence and terrorism to investing in stability, economic prosperity and commercial competition,” it said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting. “Accordingly, the international-Iranian talks have managed to turn a page in the region's history that was characterized with wars, blood and instability,” the secretariat added.
Sealed in Vienna after a 13-year stand-off, a historic nuclear deal was reached Tuesday between Tehran and the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany. It is aimed at ensuring Iran does not obtain the nuclear bomb, opening up Tehran's stricken economy and potentially ending decades of bad blood with the West. “After Iran dropped the Great Satan term from its dictionary of propaganda, the March 14 General Secretariat hopes this regional breakthrough will contribute to Lebanon's pacification through Hizbullah's return to the Lebanese state, implementation of the Taef Accord, and commitment to (U.N.) resolutions 1559 and 1701,” it said. The secretariat noted that “the Iranian regime cannot implement U.N. resolutions in Iran and refrain from implementing them in Lebanon through Hizbullah's behavior, which manifests itself in the possession of illegitimate arms and participation in the Syrian conflict.”It also called on Iranian authorities to “seek peace in the region, rid it of weapons of mass destruction, contribute to the implementation of the Arab Peace Initiative, abandon (Syrian President) Bashar Assad … and 'set free' Lebanon's presidency by setting free the decision of some Lebanese MPs.”

Lebanese Officials Have Mixed Reactions to Nuclear Deal
Naharnet/ July 15/15/Lebanese politicians had on Wednesday mixed reactions to a historic accord struck a day earlier by Iran, the United States, and five other world powers to check Tehran's nuclear efforts short of building a bomb.Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun said the deal could have a positive impact on Lebanon's presidential elections. But stressed that granting Christians their rights cannot be influenced by any change in the world. Aoun told As Safir daily that some parties are trying to describe his call for giving back the rights of Christians in state posts as a sectarian demand. But he stressed that these are patriotic rights. “A strong president benefits all of the country and an electoral law would be fair towards all Lebanese,” said the presidential candidate. Baabda Palace has been vacant since President Michel Suleiman's six-year tenure ended in May last year. Like Aoun, his ally Marada Movement MP Suleiman Franjieh, expected the nuclear deal to have positive effects on Lebanon and the region. “Lebanon's insurmountable crisis is part of the critical situation in the region,” he told As Safir. “When a solution appears in a regional deadlock, it would surely have positive repercussions on us.” Both Aoun and Franjieh are allied with Hizbullah, which is backed by Iran, in the March 8 alliance. The 100-page deal between Iran and the world powers caps off more than a decade of diplomatic wrangling aimed at keeping Tehran from building a nuclear bomb. U.S. and Israeli officials say a nuclear-armed Iran would be a security disaster and potentially lead to war because of Tehran's support for anti-Israel groups, such as the Palestinian Hamas and Hizbullah. Progressive socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat, who is a centrist, was also quick to react to the deal. When told “congratulations,” Jumblat swiftly responded: “You should congratulate (Hizbullah leader) Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.”He expressed pessimism, however, over the deal's effects on Lebanon and the region. He said the gains made by the major powers would be much more than Arabs. Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, who is a member of the anti-Hizbullah March 14 alliance, also believed in remarks to As Safir that the deal would not have major positive repercussions on events in the Middle East. Asked if the deal would give Hizbullah the upper hand in Lebanese politics, Geagea said: “Not necessarily. Even if it improves its capabilities, its size is limited in Lebanon because the party cannot overstep the Lebanese (political and sectarian) structure.” The head of al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc, MP Fouad Saniora, said at a press conference he held in parliament that the nuclear deal is an “important event.” “We Lebanese and Arabs had a clear stance that each state has the right to pursue peaceful nuclear activities,” he said. “We enjoy a long history of ties with Iran,” he added. For his part, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi from al-Mustaqbal bloc stated “We honor any agreement that reflects positively mainly on Lebanon. However let us wait and see how the issue is echoed on the ground.”

Lebanese Army Arrests 5 for Attempting to Smuggle Drone to Gunmen on Eastern Border
Naharnet/ July 15/15/The Lebanese army announced that it halted on Tuesday an attempt to smuggle a surveillance drone to gunmen on the eastern mountain range. The military said in a statement on Wednesday that it thwarted the smuggling of a Flying Cam, which was going to be used to spy on and photograph army locations. Investigations are underway to determine the seller of the plane and those involved in the operation. Later on Wednesday, the National News Agency reported that five people were arrested over their links to the case. The army intelligence raided the house of Syrian detainee Mohammed al-Jaber in the town of al-Sweiri in the west Bekaa region. Five people were arrested in the raid, during which a drone, equipped with a seven-kilometer-range camera, was discovered.
Jaber was previously arrested in the town of Bar Elias on charges of gun trade and smuggling small drones that are equipped with advanced cameras. He was seeking to deliver the drones to gunmen on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal. The army communique also warned vendors of Flying Cam drones to inspect the identity of their buyers and the purpose of their purchase before selling them. In addition, it urged owners of these planes to obtain a license from the Army Command before operating them.

Kidnappers of Bank Manager Demand $500 Thousand Ransom
Naharnet/ July 15/15/The kidnappers of a manager at al-Mawarid bank who was kidnapped early this week demanded $500 thousand ransom in order to free him, LBCI reported on Wednesday. On Monday, Mohammed Abou Jakh, the manager of al-Mawarid bank branch in Chtaura was abducted at gunpoint by unknown assailants who were riding a black four-wheeler near the West Bekaa town of al-Rawda. The kidnappers left Abou Jakh's Toyota behind. His kidnapping came less than 24 hours after Lebanese national Nazih Zakaria al-Hussein was abducted in the northern city of Tripoli. Al-Hussein disappeared after leaving his workplace at the Tripoli Plaza company carrying with him 8 million Lebanese pounds. On Friday, security forces arrested the ringleader of a gang that had kidnapped a child from the town of Amchit near Jbeil, north of Beirut. Authorities also managed to recover a $50,000 ransom that had been paid to secure the release of the boy. The child's kidnappers have been identified as Lebanese and Syrian residents of the northern border region of Wadi Khaled.

Lebanese Army Seizes Cars Filled with Weapons after Clash on Riyaq Road
Naharnet/ July 15/15/The army on Wednesday announced seizing two cars filled with smuggled arms on the Riyaq-Baalbek road in the Bekaa Valley. “An army intelligence patrol intercepted two cars filled with smuggled weapons in the town of Riyaq after clashing with the individuals who were in them,” state-run National News Agency reported, adding that a fugitive was wounded in the gunfight. “The army immediately imposed a security cordon around the Riyaq Hospital to which the injured man was transferred,” NNA said.
It said the army managed to arrest all the individuals who were in the seized cars. The Army Command issued a statement later on Wednesday, identifying the detainees as Mohammed Mohsen Matar, Hadi Mohammed Shokor, Mahmoud Ahmed Abdul Khaleq and Suleiman Abdul Khaleq. “The detainees and the confiscated arms were referred to the relevant authorities as an investigation got underway,” the army added.

1 Dead, 3 Hurt as Personal Dispute Erupts into Gunfire in Qabrshmoun
Naharnet/ July 15/15/One person was killed and three others were injured Wednesday as a personal dispute escalated into gunfire and knife-stabbing in the Aley district town of Qabrshmoun. State-run National News Agency said the dispute broke out over “car drifting” in the area. It identified the slain man as Walid al-Muhtar, saying he hails from the nearby town of Aramoun. “Naji al-Husniyeh was critically wounded and rushed to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, as Omar Hani Jaber was injured in the foot and Kamel al-Jawhari – who started the clash – received knife stab wounds,” NNA said. The agency said the army has since heavily deployed in the town as security agencies launched a probe into the incident. At the political level, Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb headed to the town to join a meeting for the Progressive Socialist Party that is aimed at “containing any repercussions from the clash,” NNA added.

Suspect Admits to Court that al-Asir Moved between Sidon and Ain el-Hilweh
Naharnet/ July 15/15/Wanted Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir had moved occasionally between the southern city of Sidon and the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain el-Hilweh, a suspect admitted to court on Tuesday. According to al-Akhbar daily published on Wednesday, Alaa al-Moghrabi known as Hatem told the military court that one time a wanted cleric transported al-Asir from the northern city of Tripoli to Sidon from where he took him to Ain el-Hilweh. He said that on several occasions the fugitive resorted to him to move between the camp and the city of Sidon. Al-Moghrabi, who was arrested by the Lebanese army last month in the Majdelyoun area east of Sidon, also told the court that al-Asir's brother Amjad was responsible for the clashes that erupted between the sheikh's supporters and the Lebanese army in 2013. He said Amjad opened fire on Lebanese army captain Samer Tanios, who was in charge of the military checkpoint near Bilal Bin Rabah mosque in the Sidon suburb of Abra, where al-Asir was a preacher. The killing of Tanios sparked the gunbattles on June 2013 between the army and al-Asir's supporters. The clashes have resulted in the death of at least 16 troops and 40 Islamists, and the arrest of several gunmen. Al-Moghrabi also told the court on Tuesday that he was tasked by a militant to monitor the movement of several members of the Hizbullah-linked Resistance Brigades for the purpose of assassinating them. Tuesday's trial session for several Islamist detainees was adjourned until July 30.

Democratic Gathering, Residents Reject Any Extension of Naameh Landfill Deadline
Naharnet/ July 15/15/The Democratic Gathering bloc led by MP Walid Jumblat stressed Wednesday its rejection of any extension of a deadline to shut down the controversial landfill in the Naameh area, underlining that the Chouf, Iqlim al-Kharroub and Aley regions “will no longer be a garbage dumpster.”“The Democratic Gathering declares its rejection of any extension of the deadline to close the Naameh landfill, after the previous timeframe announced by the government passed without any commitment or measure to shut down the landfill and put an end to the health and environmental hazards,” it said in a statement. The bloc lamented that “the previous period was rife with procrastination, manipulation and commercial profit considerations at the expense of this region, contrary to the pledge that was given to address the issue.” “July 17 will be the final date for the closure of the landfill and any extension will not be accepted. The responsibility for the repercussions does not fall on the region and its residents, but rather on the policy of procrastination and indecisiveness that was endorsed throughout the past months,” Democratic Gathering added. The Mount Lebanon regions of “Chouf, Iqlim al-Kharroub and Aley have been sharing the burden and the responsibility since 1998 and will no longer be a garbage dumpster or an arena for financial calculations,” the bloc emphasized. It also accused “some firms that submitted their offers in the eleventh hour” of seeking “commercial gains at the expense of the region.”Later on Wednesday, the so-called Aramoun Residents Gathering declared that July 17 “will be a historic day.”“We are ready to escalate our moves if the government does not implement its decision on closing the Naameh landfill,” it warned.
Meanwhile, LBCI television reported that “the premiership has informed the Council for Development and Reconstruction of its approval of maintaining operations at the Naameh landfill to avoid garbage accumulation, pending the approval of new tenders.”The crisis started looming after environmentalists warned this week that they would stop trucks from hauling waste at the landfill starting Friday, which coincides with Eid al-Fitr. The landfill that lies in the town of Naameh south of Beirut is scheduled to be closed in accordance with a government decision. The July 17 deadline for the closure of the landfill also coincides with the expiry of the contract with Sukleen, which is responsible for collecting and transporting the garbage in Beirut and Mount Lebanon.In January, the cabinet decided to delay the closure of the landfill, drawing the ire of the residents of Naameh and environmentalists.It approved the controversial decision after a long-heated debate regarding the country's plan to treat solid waste.
But the spokesman of the grouping that is campaigning against the landfill, Ajwad al-Ayyash, told An Nahar daily published on Monday that environmentalists “will not allow a single kilogram of waste to enter Naameh after July 17.”He said there were reports that Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq has recently met with the municipal chiefs of towns near Naameh and proposed that they accept to dump only 600 tons of waste daily and distribute the rest to other landfills.But al-Ayyash accused them of violating the law. “We will only accept the implementation of the (government's) decision,” he said. The plan devised by Environment Minister al-Mashnouq decentralizes the management of solid waste, divides Lebanon into six blocks and limits the licensing of garbage collection to one contractor in maximum two blocks. When the government approved the plan, it also decided that contractors who win tenders would find the location of landfills. But an informed source told An Nahar last month that the authorities have failed to find a solution to the plan after only three contractors made proposals for the treatment of waste in the districts of Jbeil, Keserouan and Metn and no party made a bid for Beirut.The bidding process failed because the plan calls for having at least three bidders in each area, the source said.

Man Fakes his own Kidnapping to Cover Embezzlement
Naharnet/ July 15/15/A man confessed to faking his own kidnapping to cover the funds he embezzled from the company he works for, announced the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau in a statement on Wednesday. It said that N.H., an accountant at a commercial establishment in the northern city of Tripoli, faked his abduction at the hands of alleged assailants. The supposed assailants sent a text to his wife from the “victim's” telephone directed to his place of employment demanding a ransom of 8 million Lebanese pounds. The so-called kidnappers warned that they would abduct more employees if their demands were not met, said the ISF statement. Following investigations, it was determined that N.H. was never kidnapped and that he had “come up with this charade in order to embezzle money from his employer.” He has since been detained and confessed to embezzling 8 million Lebanese pounds from the company and deliberately sought to “disappear” immediately after his crime to avoid arousing suspicions. He was arrested in Tripoli's Abi Samra neighborhood on Monday following his “kidnapping” on Saturday.

Syrian Girl Killed by Stepmother for Being Paralyzed
Naharnet/ July 15/15/A woman has admitted to killing her husband's daughter, a Syrian, in Blat Jbeil north of Beirut, for being paralyzed, the state-run National News agency reported Wednesday. NNA said Nazliyeh Ziad Hammoud, 13, was found dead at her father's house at dawn Wednesday.The security forces immediately launched an investigation and questioned her stepmother, who admitted to murdering the girl, said the agency. According to NNA, the woman confessed that she hit the 13-year-old with “a stick on her head and all over her body to get rid of her because she is paralyzed.”Later on Wednesday, the Internal Security Forces issued a statement confirming the arrest of the victim's father and stepmother, both Syrian. The stepmother “confessed to hitting her on her head and body with a stick to get rid of her because she was causing her 'agony',” the ISF said. It also announced seizing “what was left over from the wooden stick, which broke into pieces as a result of the victim's beating.”“A probe got underway under the supervision of the relevant judicial authorities,” the ISF added.

FPM Supporters in New Motorized Protest from Baouchrieh to Tabaris
Naharnet/ July 15/15/Supporters of MP Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement staged a new motorized protest Wednesday evening that headed from the Baouchrieh area to Ashrafieh, a week after organizing a similar demo.“Seventy cars carrying FPM supporters have headed in a convoy from the Mirna Chalouhi area to Ashrafieh,” state-run National News Agency reported. It said the protesters distributed leaflets explaining their demands and grievances. “I'm Christian, I won't accept to be marginalized, I won't accept a puppet president who has no say in the equation, I won't accept an electoral law that quashes my representation, and I won't accept submissive leaders... Together we can regain our rights,” the leaflet says. Speaking to LBCI television, the FPM's universities official said the movement's protests are “spontaneous and not confined to a certain time or place.”Wednesday's move comes a week after FPM leader MP Michel Aoun told reporters that protests would be suspended in the week before Eid al-Fitr, which will likely be marked on Friday.Aoun's remarks followed a stormy cabinet session and violent street protests that left several FPM demonstrators and army troops wounded. The cabinet session witnessed a heated debate on the government's mechanism of taking decisions in light of the presidential vacuum. The parties agreed to continue the thorny debate in a session that will be held after Eid al-Fitr, with Prime Minister Tammam Salam promising that it would be the first item on the agenda. “Today was a historic day for us and we're still at the beginning of our movements. We will regain everything that they usurped from us,” said Aoun after the session. Days before the explosive cabinet meeting, Aoun had called on his supporters to prepare for rallies to regain what he described as the “Christians' rights.” His supporters began preparing to stage anti-government rallies after the cabinet failed to discuss the appointment of high-ranking security and military officials. The FPM chief has been lobbying for the appointment of Commando Regiment commander Chamel Roukoz, his son-in-law, as army chief.

Egypt Army Says Foils Suicide Attack against Army Outpost
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/ July 15/15/Egypt's military said Wednesday its troops foiled a suicide car bomb attack targeting an army outpost on a highway between Cairo and the canal city of Suez.The Egyptian affiliate of the Islamic State jihadist organization known as the "Sinai Province" claimed the attack on a Twitter account affiliated to the group. A suicide bomber driving an explosives-laden vehicle attempted to strike the outpost on a highway leading to Suez, the military spokesman said on his Facebook page. He said the explosives-laden vehicle was destroyed and its driver killed. The spokesman said the bomber tried to drive through a checkpoint and ignored warning shots, prompting soldiers to open fire, blowing up the vehicle. "There were no losses among troops, and preliminary inspection shows that about half a tonne of TNT" was used, he added. Jihadists led by IS have stepped up attacks targeting security forces since the army's ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Most of their attacks have been in the restive Sinai Peninsula, but deadly attacks have also been carried out in Cairo and other cities. On Saturday, a car bomb attack struck the Italian consulate in Cairo killing a passer-by and wounding nine others, in the first against a foreign mission since Morsi's ouster. That attack came days after a car bomb attack in Cairo killed the country's top state prosecutor.

Leaked U.S. Files: Israel Assassinated Top Syrian General
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/ July 15/15/Israel is responsible for the 2008 murder of a top security aide of Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to secret U.S. intelligence files. Brigadier General Mohammed Sleiman was shot in the head and neck on August 1, 2008 by a small team of Israeli commandos as he enjoyed a dinner party at his luxury seaside home on the Syrian coast, said The Intercept website, citing the leaked files. The Israeli military team then escaped by sea. "The internal National Security Agency document, provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, is the first official confirmation that the assassination of Sleiman was an Israeli military operation," said the website. The revelation "ends speculation that an internal dispute within the Syrian government led to his death," it added. The NSA's internal version of Wikipedia, "Intellipedia," described the assassination near the port town of Tartus as the "first known instance of Israel targeting a legitimate government official," according to The Intercept. It cited three former U.S. intelligence officers as saying that the document's classification markings indicated that the NSA learned of the assassination through surveillance. In 2010, U.S. diplomatic cables leaked by WikiLeaks and published by the Guardian newspaper said that Syria suspected Israel of the murder.
The killing of Sleiman was kept secret initially by Syrian authorities and the Israeli government denied involvement. His assassination came 11 months after an Israeli air strike deep inside Syrian territory destroyed a shadowy facility that may have been one of the special projects that Sleiman managed.

Egypt Renames Deadly Protest Site after Murdered Prosecutor
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/ July 15/15/Egypt's cabinet decided Wednesday to rename a Cairo square where police killed hundreds of Islamist protesters in 2013 after the country's top prosecutor, who was assassinated last month. Rabaa al-Adawiya Square is to be called Hisham Barakat Square in honor of the prosecutor, who died in a June 29 car bombing, a government statement said. On August 14, 2013 security forces stormed two sit-ins of supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi in Rabaa al-Adawiya and in Nahda Square, also in Cairo, resulting in what HRW termed "one of the largest killings of demonstrators in a single day in recent history" of Egypt. At least 817 demonstrators died in Rabaa al-Adawiya Square alone, it said. The interior ministry said at least 10 policemen were killed during the dispersal after coming under fire from protesters. Morsi was ousted by then army chief and now President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Since his overthrow, more than 1,400 people have been killed in a police crackdown, including those who died in Rabaa al-Adawiya.
Thousands more have been imprisoned, and hundreds sentenced to death.Barakat's killing has not been claimed by anyone, but jihadists have stepped up attacks against security forces and called for attacks on judges and prosecutors in retaliation for the crackdown.
Source

Qaida, Allies Attack Shiite Villages in Northwest Syria
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/ July 15/15/Al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate and its Islamist allies launched an attack Wednesday on the last two Shiite Muslim villages under regime control in northwest Idlib province, militants and a monitor said. The "Army of Conquest" rebel coalition, which includes Al-Qaida branch Al-Nusra Front, announced online its assault on the villages of Fuaa and Kafraya. "We decided to begin the 'Battle of Kafraya and Fuaa' against the forces of (Bashar) Assad and Iranian militias", a statement read.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the villages are the last two Shiite Muslim localities held by the regime in Idlib, which rebels have overrun in recent months."This is a very violent attack. There is heavy shelling on the towns, which have been besieged since March," he told AFP. The Army of Conquest said it decided to launch its attack after the regime and Lebanon's Hizbullah began an offensive on Zabadani, the last rebel-held bastion along Syria's border with Lebanon, earlier this month.
It said the attack would "give you a taste in the north of what our people are tasting in Zabadani".Hizbullah, which is supported by Iran, had stationed commanders in Kafraya and Fuaa and had trained local military leaders, Abdel Rahman said.The Army of Conquest seized Idlib city on March 28 and went on to capture a major town and the province's largest military base. Idlib province lies adjacent to the regime's coastal bastion of Latakia, the heartland for Alawites -- the offshoot of Shiite Islam from which the Assad clan hails.

Iran Deal to Help Rid Region of WMDs, Says Arab League
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/ July 15/15/Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said Wednesday a historic nuclear deal between Iran and world powers is a first step to ridding the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction. The head of the Cairo-based pan-Arab bloc expressed hopes the accord reached on Tuesday would usher in "stability and security" in the volatile region. Arabi also called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to declare that it has nuclear facilities. The nuclear deal struck between Iran and six world powers in Vienna was a "first step to free the Middle East from weapons of mass destruction," he said in a statement. "It's time for the international community... to stop its policy of double standards and to undertake its responsibilities by pressuring Israel to join the non-proliferation agreement as a non-nuclear state," he added. Arabi demanded that Israel place its nuclear facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Israel is widely believed to be the only country in the Middle East with atomic bombs, although it has never confirmed it. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described as a "stunning, historic mistake" the nuclear deal reached on Tuesday with Iran -- his country's traditional arch enemy. He stressed Israel would not be bound by the agreement and -- again signaling that military force was not off the table -- said the Jewish state would "always defend ourselves".

Iran Says Nuclear Deal Ends 'Manufactured Crisis
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/ July 15/15/A deal with world powers ended a "manufactured crisis" over Iran's nuclear program, its foreign minister said Wednesday as he arrived home from negotiating the agreement which angered U.S. lawmakers.As attention turned to the lengthy process of implementing the complex accord, Mohammad Javad Zarif said the world had no cause to fear Iran's nuclear activities. Zarif, who led Iran's negotiating team in the 18 straight days of "tough" talks that culminated in Tuesday's historic agreement, said common ground had been found. "We will take measures and they will do their part," he told reporters at Tehran's Mehrabad airport, referring to the six powers led by the United States with whom Iran is now bonded in the nuclear pact. "It will happen in around four months from now," he said of the formal implementation of the deal. Zarif's comments came after after a night of celebrations in Tehran where his own name was chanted in the streets by joyous Iranians. Many festooned their cars with balloons and danced on the street to celebrate the prospect of an end to the long years of economic hardship caused by Western sanctions. "Maybe the economy is going to change, especially for the young people. I was thinking about leaving, but now I will stay to see what happens," said Giti, 42, a computer programmer. But only hours earlier in Washington the deal came under intense scrutiny. The speaker of the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, said the agreement was "likely to fuel a nuclear arms race around the world". Zarif hit back at the deal's biggest critic, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the region's sole if undeclared nuclear state, who branded the agreement a "historic mistake"."Netanyahu kicked up a fuss as he is upset that Iran managed to get sanctions lifted and prevent a manufactured crisis," Zarif said.
Obama faces hard sell -
Iran has always denied seeking an atomic bomb and that stance was reiterated by President Hassan Rouhani after Tuesday's agreement. Soon after the deal was announced the White House launched a campaign to stop skeptics at home and abroad from derailing the hard-won accord. U.S. President Barack Obama was to hold a press conference later on Wednesday to try to convince Americans of the benefits of the deal, which is likely to face a bruising passage through Congress. U.S. lawmakers have 60 days to review the accord but Obama has vowed to use his presidential veto over any attempt to block it. In return for curbs on its atomic program for at least 10 years, Iran will be freed from sanctions that have crippled its economy. Tehran has also agreed to allow the U.N. nuclear watchdog tightly controlled access to its military bases, an Iranian official said. And it will slash by around two-thirds the number of centrifuges -- which can make fuel for nuclear power stations but also the core of a nuclear bomb -- from around 19,000 to just over 6,000. Obama said the accord meant "every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off". "This deal offers an opportunity to move in a new direction. We should seize it," he said, pointing to a broader effort to end the hostility between the two governments that has persisted ever since the overthrow of the U.S.-backed shah in the Islamic revolution of 1979.
Cooperation against IS
Washington hopes the accord may lead to more cooperation with Iran at an explosive time in the Middle East after the Islamic State militant group surged last year, seizing vast swathes of Syria and Iraq.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the deal paves the way for a "broad" coalition to fight the Sunni extremist group which is as hostile to Shiite Iran as it is to the West. "It removes the barriers -- largely artificial -- on the way to a broad coalition to fight the Islamic State and other terrorist groups," Lavrov said.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told Sky Italia the deal "opens the way for a new confidence" in combating IS. But it has alarmed some of America's most important Middle East allies, including Sunni regional power Saudi Arabia. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said he had accepted an invitation to visit Tehran soon. With Iran set to reopen for business with the progressive lifting of U.N. and Western sanctions, he was likely to be the first in a long line of top diplomats beating a path to Tehran. France was with Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States one of the six powers that reached the deal with Iran. But Fabius denied commercial considerations had played any part, saying that while "trade is very important," France backed a deal with Iran "for strategic reasons because we wanted to avoid nuclear proliferation."

Netanyahu: If it weren't for Israel, Iran would've had nukes long ago
JPOST.COM STAFF, LAHAV HARKOV /07/15/2015
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday vowed that the nuclear agreement struck between the major world powers and Iran “is not the last word.” Speaking before the Knesset to honor the memory of Likud ideological forebear Ze’ev Jabotinsky, the premier said that it was Israel’s vocal opposition to the Iran nuclear program that delayed Tehran’s attainment of the bomb. “We brought the Iranian issue to the attention of world public opinion,” Netanyahu said. “If it wasn’t for us, there would not have been a discussion about it.”“If it weren’t for Israel’s efforts, Iran would’ve gained possession of a nuclear weapon a long time ago,” the prime minister said. “We are not bound by this agreement and we will continue to oppose it,” Netanyahu said. “This agreement is bad on all counts. Whoever says that the deal needs to be evaluated in the future needs to take into account the fact that it will be examined in the immediate future.” “When we read the agreement, the picture becomes even bleaker because we discover more absurd things in it,” the premier said.Netanyahu criticized the Western powers for their “willingness to accept tyrannical regimes,” a theme that dovetailed with a remembrance session in honor of Jabotinsky. In Zionist lore, Jabotinsky is credited with foreseeing the danger posed to European Jewry by the rise of Nazism. “This is different than 1938 because back then, there was no precedent,” the prime minister said. “Now there is, and then we didn't have a country. Now we do.” The prime minister cited diplomatic pressure as a method Jabotinsky touted in working towards the formation of a Jewish state, adding: "The agreement that was signed in Vienna is not the end of the story. We will continue fighting." Netanyahu called the agreement "bad in every way" and pointed to "absurd things" about it, like the fact that Iran has a 24-day warning before the IAEA can inspect any of its nuclear sites, and that any intelligence that would lead to a need for an inspection must be turned over to Teheran. The prime minister also pointed to the system for bringing back sanctions, saying that no business deal made before the sanctions were returned would have to be canceled, making it a major incentive to invest in Iran. Netanyahu also quoted a Jabotinsky essay from 1938 criticizing Western powers for being willing to accept tyrannical regimes in hopes of attaining quiet. "Not everyone learned the lessons of history. Today, too, powers fall for the trap of smiles. I am not saying that we are in 1938 for two reasons, first that then there was no precedent and today there is, and second, today we have a state and then we didn't, and its job is to continue acting against things that endanger it," he said. "The person who spoke the truth about this agreement is the Iranian President, who said Iran achieved all hits goals," Netanyahu added. "We are not obligated by the agreement and will continue to oppose it. There is no coalition and opposition and we must have a united front to ensure our existence."

UK's Hammond: Israel doesn't want any deal with Iran, it wants a permanent state of stand-off
JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS/07/15/2015/Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told parliament on Wednesday that Israel would not have been satisfied with any kind of nuclear deal with Iran, dismissing criticism of the agreement struck between Tehran and foreign powers. "The question you have to ask yourself is what kind of a deal would have been welcomed in Tel Aviv. The answer of course is that Israel doesn't want any deal with Iran," Hammond said in response to an opposition legislator who said he objected to the agreement and cited dismay in Tel Aviv. "Israel wants a permanent state of stand-off and I don't believe that's in the interests of the region. I don't believe it's in our interest," Hammond said.Earlier on Tuesday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also criticized Israel's opposition to the deal, saying the agreement will help contribute to security in the Middle East. "This is a responsible deal and Israel should also take a closer look at it and not criticize the agreement in a very coarse way," Steinmeier told German broadcaster ARD in an interview on Wednesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the deal as a "stunning, historic mistake" and said it would enable Iran to pursue a path to nuclear weapons. Hammond said on Wednesday that Britain hopes to re-open its embassy in Iran before the end of the year, following the agreement. "I very much hope that we will be in a position to re-open our respective embassies before the end of the year," Hammond said. The re-opening was dependent on resolving some technical issues, he added, without elaborating. Diplomatic relations were suspended and the British embassy was closed after hundreds of Iranian demonstrators stormed the building in November 2011. Hammond also said he had spoken to British finance minister George Osborne to ensure that the country was ready to capitalize on the "quite substantial" business opportunities that would arise from the diplomatic agreement.

Obama delivers on a bold promise of change
MICHAEL WILNER/J.Post/07/15/2015
VIENNA – Barack Obama campaigned for the presidency in 2008 on a promise of change, and he has now delivered, forging a historic international agreement in his image that fundamentally shifts the paradigm of power in the Middle East.
The deal sealed on Tuesday between six world powers and Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, will forever define Obama’s legacy as commander-in-chief. It is the most significant arms control agreement adopted since the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) was signed between the US and the Soviet Union in 1991; the most consequential single policy action in the Middle East since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003; and the most dramatic reversal of US relations with a foreign nation since Richard Nixon visited China in 1972. And like all major policy shifts, the JCPOA carries tremendous risk for the president and for his country. Obama is investing in the future of a government that has, over its 36 years in existence, defined itself in opposition to much of what America stands for.
That is what Obama’s administration reflects on when it discusses the entity that Iran has become. It is with an educated knowledge of history that Obama strode down the State Floor of the White House on Tuesday morning and announced a sweeping deal with an Islamic state. Five consecutive US presidents have approached the Islamic Republic with a policy of containment and distrust. But Tehran says this policy reinforces its founding purpose: To resist an “arrogant” West, and particularly the United States.
And that is precisely why Obama thinks this deal, the JCPOA, is the only reasonable alternative. He talks of the human waves of Iranians thrown at Saddam Hussein’s forces during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, of Iran’s “resistance economy” model, and of its defiance of international sanctions on its nuclear program as proof that Tehran, in the end, cannot be tamed by conventional means.
So he’ll try cooperation, instead.
“Sanctioning Iran until it capitulates makes for a powerful talking point and a pretty good political speech, but it’s not achievable outside a world of fantasy,” US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday at the announcement ceremony for the deal. “The fact is the international community tried that approach.”Obama made a similar argument in his own address. “That was the policy of the United States and others during the years 2000 and before,” Kerry continued. “And in the meantime, guess what happened? The Iranian program went from 164 centrifuges to thousands. The Iranian program grew despite the fact that the international community said, ‘No enrichment at all, none.’”
The White House says the deal is based on verification and Iranian compliance. But while technical deals are based on verifiable facts, political agreements are based on trust. And indeed, both Kerry and Obama acknowledge that “confidence building” will be an important part of the life of this deal going forward. "It is possible to change," Obama said. "A different path, one of tolerance and peaceful resolution of conflict, leads to more integration into the global economy, more engagement with the international community, and the ability of the Iranian people to prosper and thrive." Around the Palais Coburg in Vienna, where the agreement was reached, Iran’s press corps celebrated the news with an extraordinary sense of national pride. To them, a policy of painful resistance had finally been vindicated – even rewarded. But they also took pride in something entirely new: The belief they were being treated by Western governments with a genuine sense of respect. That may be Obama’s ultimate strategy, entirely separate from the nuclear file.

Phares on FBC: "Iran's regime will cash billions, purchase
Walid Phares DC/Phares on FBC: "Iran's regime will cash billions, purchase weapons, maintain nuclear options open"
In a Fox Business Channel debate following the signing of the nuclear deal with Iran, Dr Walid Phares said "Iran's, the Obama Administration and Russia, are the winners in this deal." Phares, the author of 'The Lost Spring" US Policy in the Middle East and Catastrophes to Avoid,' said "Tehran is winning strategically, to a point. It will receive billions of dollars and would be able to purchase and update its missiles, buy advanced anti aircraft missiles to deter foes of the nukes, and when they complete the build up their arsenals they will invoke an incident or two and freeze the agreement." Phares who predicted the Arab spring and the Iranian expansion into Yemen in two books, said "the Administration will win politically, but to a point while Russia's leadership would practically win arms contracts with Iran."

Obama Says Nuclear Deal Won't Erase 'Profound Differences' with Iran
Naharnet/ July 15/15/U.S. President Barack Obama sought Wednesday to defend a ground-breaking deal to curb Iran's nuclear program from a tide of criticism, saying "profound differences" would remain with the Islamic republic.Amid fears Washington was seeking to cozy up to its long-time foe with an agreement that might not stand the test of time, Obama said: "Even with this deal, we will continue to have profound differences with Iran." "Iran still poses challenges to our interests and values," the U.S. leader told reporters, citing "its support of terrorism and its use of proxies to destabilize parts of the Middle East." Only a day after world powers agreed a deal after almost two years of negotiations to stop Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb, Obama went on the offensive to stop skeptics at home and abroad from seeking to derail the long-awaited accord. The agreement, signed on Tuesday after 18 days of marathon talks in Vienna, aims to roll back Tehran's nuclear program in return for lifting sanctions that have crippled Iran's economy. It was hailed by the United States, the European Union, Iran and NATO -- all of whom hope the deal will end decades of bad blood between the Middle East's major Shiite Muslim power and the West -- but branded a "historic mistake" by Tehran's archfoe Israel. With this deal, we cut off every single one of Iran's pathways to a nuclear program," Obama insisted at a White House press conference. "And Iran's nuclear program will be under severe limits for many years. Without a deal, those pathways remain open."He insisted Iran's nuclear program would be under unprecedented monitoring by the U.N. watchdog. Obama agreed that "Israel has legitimate concerns about its security relative to Iran." But he insisted that no one, including Israel, had provided a better alternative to the deal, and "all those threats are compounded if Iran gets a nuclear weapon.""For all the objections of Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu -- or, for that matter, some of the Republican leadership that's already spoken -- none of them have presented to me or the American people a better alternative," he said.
Obama insisted that Washington was not seeking to "normalize diplomatic relations" with Iran. "Will we try to encourage them to take a more constructive path? Of course, but we're not betting on it," Obama said. The United States Wednesday presented a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council asking it to endorse the historic deal, which could be voted on as early as Monday or Tuesday, diplomats said. The draft text seeks formal U.N. approval for the hard-won, ground-breaking agreement.
The resolution would also replace the existing framework of Security Council sanctions with the restrictions set out in the agreement, under which Iran has dismantle or mothball much of its nuclear industry. Agence France Presse

Iran Nuclear Deal Makes War More Likely
by Efraim Inbar
BESA Center Perspectives
July 15, 2015
http://www.meforum.org/5381/israel-iran-war
This article, originally published under the title, "Six Strikes against the Nuclear Deal with Iran," has been slightly edited.
There are (at least) six significant and immediate bad results from the agreement reached yesterday between the Western powers and Iran.
1. America the weak: The way in which the negotiations were conducted underscored the weakness of the US. The Obama administration was willing to offer almost unlimited concessions to the skillful Iranian negotiators, ignoring all its own deadlines and red lines. It is clear that President Obama was desperate for a deal in order to leave office with a "legacy."
While Washington congratulates itself on a "successful" result, what counts is the perceptions of the countries in the region. Alas, all countries in the region can only conclude that America is indeed weak. America has capitulated to Iran.
2. Nuclear legitimacy: Instead of insisting on the dismantling of all uranium enrichment facilities in Iran, as was accomplished in Libya, the US actually accorded international legitimacy to a large-scale Iranian nuclear infrastructure, including thousands of centrifuges. The deal leaves almost intact all central components of the Iranian nuclear program. ... [T]he US has totally ignored UN Security Council Resolution 1696 of July 2006, which demanded that Iran suspend enrichment activities, as well as American demands for the dismantlement of the nuclear facilities.
The deal leaves almost intact all central components of the Iranian nuclear program.
3. Proliferation: This agreement is a stimulus for nuclear proliferation. Indeed, Saudi Arabia has announced its desire for "the same type of infrastructure" that has been allowed to Iran. It is to be expected that countries such as Egypt and Turkey will emulate Saudi Arabia. These states share Iranian ambitions for a leadership role in the region and it is highly unlikely they will refrain from acquiring capabilities that match Iran's. Actually, the regional nuclear race has already begun and a multi-polar nuclear Middle East is on the way. This is a strategic nightmare.
An American attempt to provide a nuclear umbrella ("extended deterrence") to the Gulf States in order to forestall nuclear proliferation already has failed. Saudi King Salman refused to attend the US-Gulf State summit. This reflects disappointment with what Washington had to offer, and signals Saudi intentions to try to take care of itself on its own.
Iran's capacity for subversion and exporting terror will be greatly magnified.
4. Force projection and terrorism: The international sanctions regime against Iran already has eroded. States and businesses already are lining up to capitalize on the economic opportunities emerging in the Iranian market. The unfreezing of Iranian bank accounts and the projected increase in oil production will enrich the coffers of the Iranian regime with more than $100 billion. This will allow the diversion of many resources to an Iranian arms build-up, and will buttress Tehran's aspiration to project force far beyond its borders. Moreover, the cash influx enhances Iranian capability for supporting proxies, such as the Shiite-controlled government in Iraq, Assad's regime in Syria, Hizballah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the Houthis in Yemen. The Iranian capacity for subversion and for exporting terror will be greatly magnified.
5. Balance of power: The American decision to accept Iran as a nuclear-threshold state, and Obama's statements in favor of a "responsible Iranian role" in the region, accompanied by an inflated American threat perception of ISIS – signal a most significant change in American Middle East foreign policy. This accord marks an end to Iran's regional isolation. Instead, America seems to be siding with the Shiites against Sunnis. This move changes dramatically the regional balance of power, instilling even greater uncertainty in regional politics.
The naïve American belief that Iran can become a "normal" state – will backfire. While cautious, Iran is nevertheless a "revisionist" power trying to undermine the status quo. It does not hide its hegemonic aspirations. Its subversive activities in Shiite Bahrain and the Shiite eastern province of Saudi Arabia (where most of the oil is), and in other Gulf countries, might create an unbearable situation for the West. Eventually, Iran might even attain its declared goal of putting an end to the American presence in the Persian Gulf.
An Israeli military strike on Iran has become more likely.
6. Conflict with Israel: American policy is now on a collision course with Israel. The consensus in Israel is that Obama signed a very bad deal, which is dangerous for the Middle East and well beyond it. Israelis, as well as most Middle Easterners, do not buy the promise of a moderate Iran. They know better. Israelis take seriously the calls of the Iranian mobs "Death to America. Death to Israel."Thus, an Israeli military strike on Iran has become more likely, and in the near future – before the US puts the brakes on military supplies to the Israeli army.Efraim Inbar, a professor of political studies at Bar-Ilan University, is the director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and a fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Iranian President Rohani In Address To The Iranian Nation Following The Announcement Of The Iran-P5+1 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action: The Superpowers Have Recognized A Nuclear Iran
MEMRI 15July/15
Iranian President Hassan Rohani delivered an address to the Iranian nation on July 14, 2015, immediately after the announcement earlier that day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Iran and the P5+1 in Vienna. The following is MEMRI's translation of his address from the original Persian as published by the Tasnim news agency on that date. All emphases below are in the original.
Rohani delivering speech, Tasnim, July 14, 2015.
"Peace and blessings upon the pure souls of the prophets and the holy men, the great Prophet of Islam [Muhammad], the Imams, the Imam of the martyrs [Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini], and the exalted martyrs, especially the nuclear [scientists], and peace and blessings upon the Hidden Imam.
"Ramadan is always a month of goodness and blessings, a month of greater closeness between the people and God, and, according to what I have heard during this year's Ramadan, many people have prayed... that the negotiating team will succeed in securing a good agreement.
"I hereby announce to the great Iranian people that their prayers have been answered. Today we are at an important stage in the history of our state and our [Islamic] Revolution, and of conditions in the region – circumstances that, I must say, have continued for the past 12 years [since the beginning of the negotiations over Iran's nuclear dossier], which were accompanied by illusions on the part of the superpowers, who spread them throughout society and throughout public opinion.
"The page is done, and a new page has begun.
"This new page begins when the way to solving the world's toughest problems is shorter and less costly. The important issue of the Iranian nuclear [program] was, on the one hand, political and international, for which many sanctions resolutions [against Iran] were imposed by the Security Council, under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. On the other hand, [the nuclear issue] resulted in a campaign of Iranophobia in society and in the world, under which it was claimed that Iran aspires to obtain weapons of mass destruction and nuclear [weapons].
"With regard to science, technology, and the advancement of the state, the nuclear issue has become important to us. With regard to society, it became a source of national pride and honor. With regard to the economy, due to the pressure by those who leveled sanctions, harsh conditions were created in society, although, as I have stressed before, the sanctions never reaped success even though they impacted the lives of the people.
"I am happy that today we have succeeded in reaching a new point by means of negotiations that continued for 23 months, between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the six global superpowers... on the issue of the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action."
Iran Agreed To Dialogue, The P5+1 Agreed To Respect Us
"In order to solve the nuclear issue and problem, we had to take necessary steps in various areas. In the political area, we had to prepare the necessary preliminary political steps. With regard to [Iranian] public opinion, [there was a need to cause] them to realize that the negotiations were not a recitation of statements but a give and take. The meaning of negotiations is paying money and buying the desired house. We did not seek charity; no one will give us anything for free. We aspired to negotiation, aspired to advance a fair and just give and take based on national interests. We have always stressed the point that these negotiations would not be win-lose, because such talks are not viable. Negotiations and agreements will be strong and permanent only if they are win-win for both sides. We explained this to our society, and our negotiating team began the talks based on this [formula] 23 months ago [when I entered office].
"In addition, in order to reap success in the negotiations, we needed a national domestic consensus. Obviously, within Iran, politicians, organizations, and factions do not have a uniform opinion... But, happily, we managed to reach a consensus in our society on this issue, in an open and democratic atmosphere. The road to negotiations began even before this government [took office]. In effect, from the first day of the nuclear problem – that is, 12 years ago – the path to negotiations began, on orders from the Leader [Ali Khamenei], and since 2003 we have continued these negotiations in Tehran, in neighboring capitals, and in Western European capitals.
"Ultimately, the Iranian people had its say on this issue in the 2013 [presidential] elections, and announced explicitly: We want a government that will take into account nuclear achievements along with peace, the advancement of the state, and the welfare of the people all together. This was the path that my government chose and promoted...
"Since my inauguration as president, I have said that the West can have dialogue with us only if it abandons the threats and humiliation, and starts to respect [us]. The agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action, that was achieved today, has its roots in that same dialogue by Iran and in that respect on the part of the P5+1. Without these two elements, we would have achieved nothing.
"We needed to organize the state's economy under the conditions of the sanctions and the inflation crisis in order for the negotiations to succeed. We began the negotiations under the conditions of sanctions, and with inflation of over 40%, as well as with negative growth at a rate of -6.8%. But during the talks, we organized the economy, reined in the inflation, and achieved positive growth. This is the strongest message that my government sent to the P5+1. Most important were also the steadfastness, the resistance, and the bearing of hardships by the courageous [Iranian] people... which brought the other side to the negotiating table."
Iran's Four Goals Have Been Achieved
"In the negotiations, we aspired to achieve four goals: The first was to continue the nuclear capabilities, the nuclear technology, and even the nuclear activity. The second was to remove the mistaken, oppressive, and inhuman sanctions. The third was to remove the Security Council resolutions that we see as illegitimate. The fourth was to remove the nuclear dossier from Chapter VII of the UN Charter and the Security Council in general. All four goals have been achieved today with the agreement and the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action. Of course, as we know, the extraordinary efforts by diplomats, legal experts, economists, and nuclear scientists continued throughout these past 23 months, in order to oversee these red lines so that we could achieve our goals."
The West's Demands vs Iran's Achievements In The Agreement
Over 6,000 Centrifuges
"At the start of the negotiations, the other side would tell us that during the period of restrictions – which today is set at eight years – Iran could have only 100 centrifuges. After many deliberations, they arrived at 1,000. Because of great opposition [on our part], they said 4,000 and that this would not change. Today, the agreement is carried out under conditions that state that [Iran] will retain over 6,000 centrifuges, over 5,000 of which will be at Natanz and over 1,000 at Fordo. All centrifuges at Natanz will continue to enrich [uranium]."
Eight Years Of Restrictions
"They said, 'The period of your restrictions will be 20 years, in addition to 25 years.' Later they said '20 years and 10 years.' Then they said: 'Last word – 20 years, and we will not capitulate any more.' But in the final days of the negotiations, they went down to eight years."
Research And Development Continue – Gas Injection Into Highly Advanced IR-8 Centrifuges
"On the issue of research and development – they would say that only [first generation] IR-1 [centrifuges] would be allowed. This was ridiculous and unrealistic. R&D in this situation is meaningless. Then they said: 'IR-2 at most.' We wanted an agreement [under which] on the day of its implementation we would begin to inject gas into [advanced] IR-8 [centrifuges] and that is exactly what we achieved today."
The Heavy Water Reactor At Arak Will Be Completed As Such
"On the issue of Arak, they would say: 'The reactor will remain but the heavy water [facility] is null [sic, apparently meaning that the Arak reactor will stay, but not as a heavy water reactor].' This is an absolute red line for us. Today the terms were agreed; according to them, the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action explicitly notes the Arak heavy water reactor. This reactor will be completed with the same heavy water nature and with the characteristics noted in the agreement."
Fordo – Centrifuges As Well As R&D
"On the issue of Fordo, they would say 'It is hard to pronounce the name Fordo and it is even harder to hear it, so you will not say it and we will not hear it.' Then they said, 'At Fordo there will be not one centrifuge, and it will be a center for isotope research.' After months of talks, they said 'Only one cascade of 164 centrifuges.' I will be brief and say that today, over 1,000 centrifuges will be installed at Fordo, and part of Fordo will be used for R&D on stable isotopes."
All Sanctions, Including Weapons And Missile Embargos, Will Be Lifted
"On the issue of sanctions, they would say, 'Months must pass and you must earn [our] trust so that later the sanctions can be gradually frozen – not lifted. Do not use the term "lift." In subsequent years, if the IAEA publishes a positive report and it will be possible to trust [you], then the sanctions will be gradually lifted.' Today I announce to the Iranian nation that under this agreement, on the day the agreement is implemented all the sanctions – even the embargo on weapons, missiles, and proliferation – will be lifted as stated in the [Security Council] resolution. All the financial and banking sanctions, and those related to insurance, transportation, petrochemical [industries], precious metals, and all economic sanctions will be completely lifted, not frozen. Even the arms embargo will be stopped. There will be a type of restrictions for five years, and after that they will be lifted. On the matter of proliferation, a committee will examine goods [that have] dual [use, that is, civilian and military nuclear use]."
The Security Council Will Immediately And In The Coming Days Revoke The Anti-Iran Resolutions
"With regard to the revocation of the Security Council resolutions, they would say, 'You have not implemented any resolution, how can we revoke a resolution that you have not implemented? At least implement [it] for six months.' Under today's agreement, which will be approved in the coming days in the UN Security Council, all six previous resolutions [against Iran for violations and non-compliance with the IAEA] will be revoked."
Iran's Nuclear Dossier Will Be Removed From Security Council After 10 Years, Regardless Of IAEA
"On the issue of the permanent removal of the Iranian nuclear dossier from the Security Council, they would say, 'First the IAEA must report for 20 years, then 15 years.' Today the nuclear dossier will be completely removed from the Security Council, after 10 years of implementation of the agreement, and regardless of the IAEA."
A Response To Iran's Ideological Camp – The Agreement Is Reciprocal
"We may be asked if this agreement is based on trust in the P5+1... For us, on the matter of trust, the execution of this agreement is the beginning of a test. If it is implemented accurately and well, this could, gradually and step by step, remove the bricks from the wall of mistrust. Obviously, we are currently promoting our own interests on the basis of absolute meticulousness and oversight of the [implementation of] the agreement, without having to first trust countries with a completely negative record regarding Iran...
"Of course this agreement is reciprocal... Today [the issue is] the execution of a reciprocal agreement. If they do not adhere to this agreement, obviously neither will we. Iran has always, throughout history, stood behind the pacts to which it committed. We will strictly adhere to this agreement provided the other side also strictly adheres to it."
The Stages Of The Agreement
"Of course, this agreement has various stages. Today was the first stage. That is, all seven countries agreed on the text of the agreement and accepted its five annexes. The next stage, that will be in the coming days: The text of the agreement, and the text that will be submitted to the Security Council, must be approved by the Security Council, under Article 25 and not under Chapter VII [which allows sanctions], and, in issues of revocation of previous [Security Council] resolutions, under Article 41. After that, the stages will continue in the various countries.
"On the day that will be called the day of the agreement – because today is [only] the date of the joint statement – which will be several days after the UN approves [the agreement], will mark the end date [of the sanctions]. In another two months or so, we will reach the day that is the day of the agreement. On that day, Europe and America will clearly announce the lifting of all the sanctions and will express their decision, and then will begin Iran's steps, which will take time because of the steps taken [by Europe and America] to execute the lifting of the sanctions. It might take more than two months until we reach this day. That day will be the day of the execution of the agreement – meaning that in several months will come the day of the absolute execution of the agreement."
The Superpowers Recognize Iran As A Nuclear Power
"Today is the most important day of the past 12 days [of negotiations]. It is a day when, historically, the largest countries in the world and the superpowers officially recognized Iran's nuclear activity. Today is a day when, after 12 years [of negotiating], the world's superpowers announced that they will assist Iran in the issue of nuclear and modern technology. Today is the day when the superpowers announced that all sanctions will be lifted and all oppressive [Security Council] resolutions will be revoked, and normal relations with Iran will begin. Today is a day of ending and of beginning. An end to oppression and mistaken allegations against the great Iranian nation, and the beginning of a new process for a process of new cooperation in the world.
"Today, not only are the people in Shiraz, Esfahan, Tabriz, Khorasan, Ahwaz, Tehran, Kerman, and other Iranian cities happy, when they see the chain of sanctions melting away, but also the people in Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Lebanon are happy too because the hollow efforts of the oppressive Zionist regime to thwart the negotiations during the past 23 months have failed.
"Today the region is also happy because many of the hollow excuses for oppressing the region and the pressure on it based on the claim that Iran wants to produce nuclear weapons are over."
The Fatwa Guarantees That Iran Does Not Strive For Nuclear Weapons
"If some in the P5+1 want to announce, 'We prevented Iran from producing nuclear weapons,' then the whole world knows full well that according to the view of [Iran's] nuclear scientists, producing an atomic bomb is a mistaken, inhuman, and forbidden endeavor, in accordance with the fatwa by the Leader [Khamenei], and that Iran will never aspire to a nuclear bomb, whether there is an agreement or not, and whether it is executed or not. It would be better for them to talk of the true achievement, which is the new atmosphere created today in the region, according to which regional and global cooperation will expand.
"I wish to thank all those who played a part in reaching this important and historical day, beginning with the great Iranian nation, by virtue of its steadfastness and resistance for 12 years against a variety of misguided pressure;
"To the Leader [Khamenei], who always helped the nation, the state, the regime, and the government under harsh conditions, by virtue of his very capable hands, and who, on this path, with his guidance, his oversight, and his meticulousness, bore on his shoulders this heavy yoke;
"I thank the Majlis and its head; the judiciary and its head; all the armed forces that always backed up the nation, the regime and the government; the Expediency Council; the Assembly of Experts; the religious seminaries; the senior ayatollahs; the universities and the men of culture; the young men and women; and all the people whose smiles always filled us with hope, and whose determination gave us strength."
Warning To The Ideological Camp
"I hereby announce that if anyone wants to criticize – sympathetically criticize – it is allowed, but I will not allow harm to the hope of the people for the glorious future of this country, to the people's hope for economic growth, [and] to the people's hope for peace and security in our country and region. If anyone wishes to harm the people's hopes and confidence with lies, accusations, or inappropriate speech, I will not allow it.
"Today is not a day of ending for the great Iranian nation, it is a day of beginning, a day of moving forward and of new hope. A beginning of a better future for our youth, a beginning of swifter movement, of prosperity, and of the development of our dear country of Iran."
A Message To The Arab Countries And Against Israel
"And finally, [to the] nations of the region and neighboring countries: Do not be misled by the propaganda of the Zionist regime and the evil-mongers of this [Iranian] nation. Iran and its might are always your might. We see the security of the region as our security, and the stability of the region as our stability. Iran's science, technology, prosperity, and development will benefit its neighbors. Iran does not and will not aspire to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Iran does not and will not desire to pressure the countries of the region.
"Countries of the region! Relations between us and you have a new beginning today. We want more honesty, more closeness and fellowship, and more developed relations.
"To the great Iranian nation – thanks to your efforts, actions, and trust in the government, we will continue on this path successfully to the end."

Deal Reached on Iranian Nuclear Program, While Religious Persecution Remains Rampant and Americans are in Prison
American Pastor Saeed Abedini, three other Americans, and nearly 90 Christians remain in prison even as the United States and other world leaders have reached an agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding its nuclear program.
Todd Daniels, Regional Manager for the Middle East
07/15/2015 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) - International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that while the United States and world leaders have reached an agreement with Iran regarding its nuclear program, the fate of American pastor Saeed Abedini, three other Americans, and the dozens of other Christians behind bars for their faith was not addressed.
"Saeed is not part of the deal," Naghmeh Abedini, wife of imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini told ICC shortly after the news broke about the agreement. There has not been "any assurance from State Department if his release has even been secured on the sidelines," she continued.
The deal reached in the early hours of Tuesday, July 14, 2015 comes at the end of a marathon 17 straight days of negotiating, and at the end of a lengthy process of more than 20 months of talks between Iran and the group known as the P5+1 (United States, the United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany).
"Today, after two years of negotiations, the United States, together with our international partners, has achieved something that decades of animosity has not -- a comprehensive, long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon," President Barack Obama said from the White House,
"This deal is not built on trust. It's built on verification," Obama continued in the statement.
The main provisions of the deal provide the removal of economic sanctions in exchange for monitoring and limits placed on Iran's nuclear program to lengthen the time that it would take for Iran to create a nuclear weapon.
The deal has many vocal opponents in Congress, which has 60 days to review the deal.
"Sadly, the Administration just lit the fuse for a nuclear arms race in the Middle East," Senator Ben Sasse (NE-R) said.
"President Obama has consistently negotiated from a position of weakness, giving concession after concession to a regime that has American blood on its hands, holds Americans hostage, and has consistently violated every agreement it ever signed," said Senator Marco Rubio (FL-R).
The American hostages held by Iran include former Marine Amir Hekmati, Washington Post report Jason Rezaian, held for one year this month, and Pastor Saeed Abedini, who has now been held for over 1,000 days.
Saeed was imprisoned on September 26, 2012. On the morning of January 27, 2013, Pastor Saeed stood before Judge Pir-Abassi in Tehran to receive his verdict from a show trial. He was convicted of "undermining national security" for his work among house churches in Iran from 2000 to 2005.
Naghmeh Abedini, Saeed's wife, appeared before the House of Foreign Affairs Committee in June, alongside of family members of the others held in Iran and pleaded for a greater effort to be made on behalf of her husband.
The absence of any progress on the release of Pastor Abedini and the other Americans, Iran's horrendous human rights record, especially regarding religious freedom, and its role as a leadingstate sponsor of terrorism, all raise serious concerns about this deal.
In response to the announcement speech from President Obama, Senator Ted Cruz (TX-R) said, "In his remarks this morning, the President glossed over the truth about Iran's world-leading state-sponsorship of terrorism that is violently destabilizing the region, and would grow more deadly should the Iranians get a nuclear bomb. He failed to mention American citizens, Saeed Abedini, Amir Hekmati, and Jason Rezaian, who continue to languish in Iranian prisons or Robert Levinson, who is still unaccounted for. For them, today is no 'opportunity to move in a new direction' as the President claimed. We owe it to our fellow Americans elevate, not ignore, their plight, to demand their swift and unconditional release by the implacably hostile regime that holds them. "
While President Obama has mentioned Saeed's case and, after years of delay, met with his wife during a trip to Idaho, no real progress has been made towards his release despite more than 20 months of negotiations between the two countries.
As of the beginning of 2015, Saeed was one of more than 90 Christians who were either currently in prison or awaiting trial for charges related to their faith, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.
If the United States genuinely considers religious freedom an important tenant of our foreign policy, then President Obama should absolutely demand that Iran release an American citizen who has been imprisoned and sentenced to eight years in prison simply for his religious beliefs and take clear steps to promote religious freedom in all of

Nuclear deal pushes Israel aside in Washington, raises Iran to leading US partner and ally
DEBKAfile Exclusive Analysis July 15, 2015
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu bitterly accused the “leading international powers of gambling our collective future on a deal with the foremost sponsor of international terrorism” – roundly condemning all six world powers who signed the nuclear deal with Iran in Vienna Tuesday, July 14.President Barack Obama topped the list. Netanyahu pointed out that the president had determined on a deal with Iran at any price before he took office, which is true. Therefore, it had nothing to do with the poor relations between himself and the US President, he said in answer to critics. It was now time for Israeli leaders to set aside differences and pull together, he said. Opposition leader, the Zionist Union’s Yitzhak Herzog, agreed and said he was enlisting for the necessary effort on behalf of Israeli security. Tuesday night he received an update on the situation from the prime minister.
The special security cabinet meeting, called to discuss the ramifications of the nuclear deal, hours after it was signed, unanimously rejected it and declared “this deal does not commit Israel.”
Unfortunately, Israel was never asked for its commitment, any more than the other Middle East powers directly affected by it. The cabinet statement was therefore no more than a meaningless expression of futility, a sensation shared equally by Saudi King Salman and Egyptian President Abdel-Fatteh El-Sisi, in the face of the iron wall Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have built for Iran in the region.
Both unceremoniously ditched Israel and its Arab neighbors in order to join hands with Iran. By this reshuffle of allies, Washington has created a new geopolitical reality in the region at the expense of its equilibrium.
The US Congress has 60 days to review the nuclear accord and reach a decision. But if Netanyahu had had any hopes of swinging the Senate around to voting down the veto President Obama promised to impose to mullify its rejection, that hope swiftly vanished in thin air. Leading presidential contender Hillary Clinton announced that if she wins the 2016 election she would abide in full by the nuclear accord Obama signed with Iran. This announcement assured Obama of a Senate majority.
The dead end reached by Netanyahu on this issue also symbolizes the end of Israeli’s special standing in Washington as “America’s leading Middle East ally.”
Iran has stepped into this position. There is little point in Israel knocking on the White House door to renew the old understanding and sympathy, as advised by former prime minister Ehud Barak and others. It does not matter who sits in the prime minister’s office in Jerusalem, as matters stand now, he/she will find themselves on the wrong side of that door.
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will visit Israel next week. But that is only an attempt to soften the blow.
This does not mean that the Obama administration will totally abandon Israel, only that it will no longer enjoy favored status compared with other Middle East nations. By ditching the Arab world, Obama equally dumped the Palestinian issue. This has some advantages for the Netanyahu government, but is not the end of the world for the Palestinians. They, like Arab governments, have the option of seeking an understanding with Tehran, whereas that door is shut tight against Israel.
In this situation, Israel’s quiet understandings with a number of Arab leaders directed at forming a bloc to counter the US-Iran alliance, have no immediate future. When the earth shakes in a major upheaval, each individual is out to save himself and has no time to look around for allies.In some ways, the Netanyahu government may find relief in being released from the political and strategic constraints bound up in the relationship with the Obama administration, and find the freedom to be more pragmatic and independent in its policy-making.
After all, Israel still has the strongest army and the most vibrant economy in the Middle East. Its leaders must learn to use those huge assets wisely and independently of the Obama administration.

Knesset Defense panel: Iran Deal has negative impact on Israel's security
LAHAV HARKOV/J.Post/07/15/2015
The World Powers' agreement with Iran authorizes its illegal nuclear program, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee said in a joint statement by its 29 members Wednesday.
"After receiving a comprehensive overview of the details of the agreement between Iran and the powers, we declare that this agreement has weighty, negative ramifications for Israel's security," the statement reads. "The agreement authorizes the illegal nuclear program Iran promoted, while violating repeated agreements by the UN Security Council and the IAEA."
The committee said that removing sanctions will lead billions of dollars to flow into Iranian coffers, some of which can be used to strengthen Iranian global terrorism and Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad.
The committee called on the government and Knesset to "continue to closely follow the precise and strict implementation of articles limiting Iran's nuclear program, to ensure that Iran is not continuing to fool the international community as it did in the past, while strengthening the historic alliance between the US and Israel."
It took several hours for Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Tzach Hanegbi (Likud) to reach a consensus between the panel's members as to what the joint declaration should say.
Hanegbi opened the committee meeting with a call "to overcome political differences and reach a consensus so we can make a joint declaration by the committee about the interpretations and meaning of the agreement."
However, in the meeting, which was closed to the press, several opposition MKs, including Shelly Yacimovich, Tzipi Livni and Nachman Shai of Zionist Union and Zehava Gal-On and Michal Rosin of Meretz, took umbrage with the way representatives of the National Security Council, Foreign Ministry and Strategic Affairs Ministry presented the agreement to them.
Deputy NSC chairman Yaakov Nagal called the deal "even worse than we thought," and said "the bottom line is that Iran is allowed to continue enriching uranium on Iranian land and all the existing centrifuges will remain in Iran and not be dismantled."
Nagal said that Iran will be permitted to continue research and development of advanced centrifuges, along with the lifting of sanctions allowing a freer exchange of information, thus letting Iran significantly decrease the time necessary to break out, and after 15 years, all limitations on enrichment will be removed.
The NSC official also pointed to holes in the IAEA inspection system, especially the fact that Teheran will have 24 days to prepare before inspectors arrive.
"Iran did not and will not abandon its military nuclear vision," Nagal said.
The Zionist Union and Meretz MKs criticized how emphatically negative Nagal and other officials were in their analysis, accusing them of political bias and only giving the government's position, and saying they are not supposed to take a side.
The opposition lawmakers also lamented that in the slides they were shown, any time it said Iran committed to something, the word "committed" appeared in quotation marks, used grammatically incorrectly to indicate skepticism.
Hanegbi said he would continue trying to work on a message from the committee on which all its members could agree.
Also in the meeting, MK Michael Oren (Kulanu), former ambassador to the US, said Israel should not count out the possibility that the agreement will herald a new era of closeness between Iran and the US, which may establish full and official diplomatic ties with Teheran.
Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid called the deal "Israel's biggest diplomatic failure since the establishment of the state. The prime minister is not Winston Churchill before World War II, he is Golda Meir after the Yom Kippur War."

Zarif scoffs at 'Netanyahu's uproar' over Iran nuclear deal
JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS/07/15/2015
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived back in Tehran on Wednesday a day after reaching a nuclear deal with six world powers in Vienna."Today the negotiations have ended with the Security Council approving a resolution that for the first time in its history will officially recognize the nuclear power of a developing country. And this is a complete U-turn," Zarif said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been vocal in his opposition to the deal, a fact that was not lost on Zarif. "Today we are witnessing Netanyahu's uproar on all television channels and in newspapers, and we have heard that the fact that the nation of Iran have made their rights official with perseverance, removed the sanctions upon them and also prevented a false crises, has made him very uneasy." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told a cabinet meeting broadcast on state television Wednesday that the nuclear deal is a political victory, adding that the agreement meant Tehran would no longer be regarded as an international threat.
"No one can say Iran surrendered," Rouhani said. "The deal is a legal, technical and political victory for Iran. It's an achievement that Iran won't be called a world threat any more." Iran and six world powers reached a deal on Tuesday, capping more than a decade of negotiations with an agreement that could transform the Middle East. Under the deal, sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations will be lifted in return for Iran agreeing to long-term curbs on a nuclear program that the West has suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb. "No deal is perfect. There should be always compromise," Rouhani said in his remarks to cabinet ministers. "It was really difficult to preserve some of our red lines. There was a time we doubted there could be a deal. It's a historic deal and Iranians will be proud of it for generations to come."
Among Iran's main conditions, or "red lines," at the talks were a refusal to accept a long freeze on nuclear research and development and a demand for a rapid lifting of sanctions. The United Nations Security Council is likely to vote next week on a resolution to endorse the Iran nuclear deal and terminate targeted sanctions, but retain an arms embargo and ballistic missile technology ban, diplomats said. The United States will circulate the draft resolution to the 15-member Security Council on Wednesday, UN diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Under the agreement, any United Nations sanctions relief would be simultaneous with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verifying "implementation of agreed nuclear-related measures by Iran." "Next week the UNSC will recognize the enrichment program of a developing country," Zarif said. "Our measures will start when all sanctions are lifted. We hope that more or less within four months measures taken by both sides show results and implementation of the deal begins." The UN Security Council resolution would terminate its seven previous resolutions on Iran, but under the Vienna deal it would leave a UN weapons embargo in place for five years and a ban on buying missile technology for eight years.

Ehud Barak: Israel can live with a nuclear Iran
ARIEL BEN SOLOMON, GIL HOFFMAN, JPOST.COM STAFF \07/14/2015 21:40
The nuclear deal that the world’s leading countries reached with Iran on Tuesday will likely lead to the Islamic Republic becoming a nuclear power, but Israel can live with a nuclear Iran, because Israel is by far the strongest country in the region. So said former prime minister and defense minister Ehud Barak in an interview with Channel 2 Tuesday night. Barak was just one of many Israeli politicians across the political spectrum who slammed the deal; MKs from the Joint List were the only ones who praised it. “The agreement gives legitimacy to Iran to become a nuclear threshold state,” Barak said. “It allows [the Iranians] to subsidize terror and removes them from the noose of sanctions. It is fair to say that it will allow Iran to follow North Korea to become a nuclear power.”
However, while he said it was legitimate for Israeli politicians to go to the US to explain why the deal was problematic for Israel, he cautioned against interfering in American politics and said positive relations with the White House must be restored. He added that there was room to take advantage of the nuclear deal to set a new regional security order. “We need to define, together with America, what a smoking gun is, and what is an Iranian violation,” he said. “You don’t need to be a security expert to understand that the deal changes the security situation. You need the US to reevaluate the situation and maintain and develop the military option.” Meanwhile, opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) announced that he would be leaving for the US in the coming days to “demand a dramatic package of security measures for Israel.”
Voicing his disappointment over the deal at a Knesset press conference, Herzog said he had been in talks with AIPAC and other bodies in the US and that he intended to fly there as soon as possible to “clarify the nature of the risks stemming from the agreement [as pertains] to Israel and the rest of the region.”“With regard to security, I am more extreme than [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu,” Herzog said. “In light of the situation, we must do everything within our power to improve our security. I have full confidence in the power of the State of Israel, and the unity and the power of our society to face and overcome any challenge and risks that lie in its path. Even if there are internal disputes, Israel knows how to unite and fight together for security.”
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid intends to lobby congressmen to vote against the deal, which he said made Tuesday “a bad day for the Jewish people.”Education Minister Naftali Bennett went further, declaring that “this day will be remembered as a black day in the history of the free world.” He spoke out against the deal on CNN, immediately after the network broadcast speeches by the American and Iranian presidents praising the deal.
“The history books have been rewritten again today, and this period will be deemed particularly grave and dangerous,” Bennett said. “Western citizens who get up for another day at work or school are not aware of the fact that about half a trillion dollars has been transferred to the hands of a terrorist superpower, the most dangerous country in the world, which has promised the destruction of nations and peoples. Today it may be us, tomorrow it may reach every country in the form of suitcase bombs in London or New York. Israel has done everything possible to warn of danger, and in the end it will follow its own interests and will do whatever it takes to defend itself.”
Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman warned that “the agreement with Iran will be remembered in history the same way as the Munich Agreement that led to World War II and the agreement with North Korea that led to its nuclearization.”
Calling the deal “a total surrender to terror and unbridled violence in the international arena,” he stressed that Israel “needs to ensure at all times and in all circumstances that it will defend itself. Today, Israel needs to remember [the Talmudic axiom]: ‘If I am not for myself, who will be for me?’” Meanwhile, the Likud criticized opposition lawmakers for assailing Netanyahu’s policies in light of the nuclear agreement.“Instead of presenting a unified front on a fateful issue for Israel, on which there is no Right or Left, and on which everyone knows Israel’s security is at stake, some politicians are engaging in narrow political prattle at the expense of the interests of Israel,” the party said in a statement. “The prime minister never promised that there would not be a deal, only that Iran would not obtain nuclear weapons, and that promise still holds, today more than ever.”
The Joint List, however, welcomed the nuclear deal, saying in a statement that it was “a victory for the will of the Iranian people and its struggle to remove the siege and sanctions.” It added that Israel should now dismantle its own purported nuclear weapons program. Israel’s objections to the deal are based on its aim “to remain the only country with nuclear power in the region and to distract the international community from the occupation, which is the source of tension, war and instability in the Middle East,” said the predominantly Arab party. “We have to keep the region free from nuclear weapons,” it added.
The list’s Arab nationalist Balad party and Islamic Movement-affiliated United Arab List party signed off on the statement, even though their ideologies seem to dovetail with those of the larger Islamic and Sunni world – which opposes Shi’ite Iran’s regional ambitions and is likely to be critical of the deal.

The agreement of the brave
Orly Azoulay /Ynetnews
Published: 07.15.15 / Israel Opinion
Op-ed: Obama proved that creative diplomacy can win, that it's possible to reach a groundbreaking deal which can change the course of history without bunker-busting bombs and without the wisdom of cruise missiles.
On Tuesday, America restored its status as the world's spotlight. It proved that creative diplomacy can win, that it's possible to reach a groundbreaking agreement that can change a historic course without bunker-busting bombs and without the wisdom of cruise missiles.
US President Theodore Roosevelt said about the art of managing foreign relations, "Speak softly, and carry a big stick." That's what President Barack Obama did vis-à-vis Iran. In one hand, aggravated choking sanctions; and in the other hand, a long-awaited admission ticket into the family of nations. Obama did not deviate from the outline he set for himself since taking office. He promised to talk to tyrants if it would be in America's best interest. He promised to pursue agreements if it would turn the world into a better place. That's why he was elected. He presented the characteristics of a global reconciliation. He mainly presented a policy which was the opposite of the policy of his predecessor, George W. Bush, who acted like the world's sheriff and launched an unjustified war in Iraq, which has since become the land of ISIS.
Obama also brought a different approach. He opened the clenched fist and extended a broad hand. He was both generous and cruel towards Iran. The most serious sanctions were imposed by his administration, and the biggest promises to the Iranian regime were given during his era. Obama's approach sparked plenty of criticism from the Israeli right and from its branches in the United States. He was accused of deciding to "contain" the Iranian nuclear program, of accepting the bomb from Bushehr, of adopting a weak policy, of having a soft personality and speaking like a naïve professor rather than like a determined leader. On Tuesday, Obama was able to wave the flag of change and hope once again: He accomplished his mission. The barrier he has placed in front of the Iranian nuclear program is made of concrete. The agreement isn't perfect, but it contains a great promise of calm. He has also vowed to use his veto power against any opposition in the US Congress. During the exhausting negotiations, Obama ignored the background noises coming from Jerusalem, Capitol Hill and the royal palace in Riyadh. He focused on signs. He received strong indications that the masses in Iran are hoping for the end of the ostracism era more than they are hoping for a nuclear weapon.
And that will be the next stage: The US is already planning student exchange agreements with Iran, tourism, new deals, partnerships in areas of culture and knowledge. Different winds began blowing between Washington and Tehran on Tuesday. Not like the storm raging in the Obama-Netanyahu relationship, a storm which is blowing the most important component in Israel's national security – its relationship with America – in every direction. The horse of history kicked off Tuesday, and instead of joining the journey, Israel will pay the price through its isolation. Even when Obama goes home, it's uncertain that a Republican president will be elected to replace him, as Netanyahu hopes. And even if a Republican president is elected, the agreement with Iran is almost an established fact. The agreement of the brave.

The Deal with Iran: How to Make Lemonade out of Lemons
by Alexander H. Joffe/The Times of Israel
July 14, 2015
Iranian hardliners may be justified in fearing that Western intelligence agencies will exploit Iran's opening to the world to undermine its regime.
It is always perilous to predict what future historians will say. But regarding the nuclear deal with Iran, it is likely historians will observe the remarkable fact that at the moment of its greatest weakness, Iran's enemies suddenly reversed course. In the name of enticing it not to build nuclear weapons, they dismantled years of carefully built economic and political sanctions, saved its crumbling economy, and empowered the regime against its domestic and foreign enemies, including the West itself.
Doing so they accepted Iran's attacks and insults, left its nuclear enrichment program intact and under minimal supervision, guaranteed Iranian threats to neighboring countries and efforts to expand regional hegemony, and did nothing to help the Iranian people, who struggled under harsh repression. Whether it will have succeeded in preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon is unlikely. What is certain is that a new period of instability will have been created — that period is already upon us.
Taking advantage of Iran's opening to the world is now a vital goal for Western intelligence.
It is an extraordinary moment in world history, perhaps a turning point, based, as many such moments are, on an extraordinary convergence of lies and self-delusions. But for those interested in the two goals of an Iran free of nuclear weapons and free of religious fascism, perhaps it is also a moment of opportunity. Iran is about to undergo a kind of opening to the world. Taking advantage of that is now a vital goal for Western intelligence and public diplomacy. It is the art of the making lemonade out of lemons.
Western businessmen are already flooding into Iran seeking deals, selling all manner of wares in exchange for Iranian cash. Those businessmen, the various branch offices they will establish, and the goods they will sell, represent an important opportunity for Western intelligence agencies to gather information and to subvert the Iranian regime.
One simple method are thumb drives, containing viruses to disrupt computer networks, encryption tools to evade official Iranian surveillance and firewalls, and perhaps even Western music, literature, and movies to subvert repressive traditional values, and classics of Western political thought to inspire Iranian society toward a liberal democratic future. Jazz and rock, blue jeans and samizdat literature played roles in the collapse of communism; their 21st century analogs should be enlisted to help Iranian society reform itself.
New access to Iran means new opportunities to undermine its regime.
In reality, this sort of 'subversion' should have been an important goal for Western public diplomacy and intelligence work all along. But there is no evidence that significant efforts have been made, especially under the Obama administration. Iranian jamming of Western broadcasts and Internet censorship have been extensive and have gone unprotested by the West, as has repression of dissidents and even the imprisonment of American citizens.
New access in Iran means new opportunities to introduce cyber weapons such as Stuxnet into Iran's strategic computer systems. Stuxnet and its variants were designed to slow and damage computer controlled systems in Iran's nuclear centrifuges, apparently with success. But they were eventually detected, and bizarrely, the Obama administration leaked information that led the trail back to the US. Iran's computers were hardened against attack.
New cyber weapons aimed at Iran's nuclear program, along with missiles, military radars and aviation, regime communications and record-keeping, and much more, are all likely under development in the West — or should be. Certainly Iran is developing its own cyber weapons, and has virtually unlimited access points to introduce them. But its weapons are aimed Western banks and critical infrastructure, such as electric grids. It is in everyone's interest that more targeted cyber attacks on the Iranian regime and its weapons systems succeed first.
The opening to the West is — or should be — a counterintelligence nightmare for Iran.
More access to Iran increases its vulnerability, as will more trade. Iran has long acquired items legally and illegally, including computers, industrial machinery, and materials for its weapons programs. With increased trade come more opportunities to sabotage equipment by introducing computer viruses, contaminating materials used in specific industries, and delivering products that do not meet stated specifications. One result may be that nuclear weapons programs can be slowed and that computer and communications systems can be monitored and disrupted. Another is that all imported trade goods become suspect, requiring expensive counterintelligence monitoring and testing. Openness should have a high price for Iran, both real and imagined.
Human intelligence opportunities directed against Iran will also increase, albeit slowly. Businessmen and academics have always been spies, and opportunities to recruit spies and saboteurs. More fundamentally it will increase the opportunity to innocently distribute information about the West through direct contacts. Keeping track of Westerners will in turn require more Iranian counterintelligence efforts. Here, too, the costs of Iran's opening to the West should be made as high as possible.
Access to Iran's people also raises the potential to eventually inspire them to overthrow the repressive theocratic fascist regime. Iran's vulnerability to ethnic uprisings is often underestimated. The Persian-led regime rightly fears Ahwaz Arab tribes in the southwest, ethnic Baluch and Pashtun in the east, and Azeris and Kurds in the northwest. All these have long histories of rebellion against the Persians, and the regime is highly sensitive to the West stirring dissent.
More access will not easily bring such dissent about, much less the arming of ethnic dissidents. Indeed, such activities seem utterly antithetical to the Obama administration, which could not even be moved to support the Green movement that arose after Iran's corrupt 2009 elections. But putting the regime under stress is an important means to bring about its transformation or demise. At the very least more broadcasts and translations should be aimed at these minorities, bringing them the news that they have not been forgotten by the West.
Even if the territorial integrity of Iran is somehow taken for granted by the West, the values of the regime cannot. The rights of ethnic minorities in Iran, and human rights generally should become a Western demand, supported by tough negotiations and public diplomacy. Such demands featured prominently in American relations with the Soviet Union and should have an equally central place in dealings with Iran. Of course, they will not under Obama, but perhaps they will under the next president.
In all this, Iran's paranoia should be exploited to the fullest. The opening to the West is — or should be — a counterintelligence nightmare for Iran and they should be forced to devote scarce resources and increase internal repression to try and stay one step ahead. Iran's youth are already deeply alienated against the regime and to some extent Islam itself. How to increase alienation is a paramount strategic goal for the West.
More positively, the opening to Iran must be seen as an opportunity for the West to promote its own values, of openness, tolerance, liberty and human dignity. If it does not, then those values no longer exist in the West, just as they do not in Iran.
**Alexander H. Joffe, a historian and archaeologist, is a Shillman-Ginsburg fellow at the Middle East Forum.

Does this Deal Prevent Iran from Developing a Nuclear Weapon?
Alan M. Dershowitz/Gatestone Institute
July 14, 2015
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/6167/does-this-deal-prevent-iran-from-developing
Does the proposed deal with Iran actually prevent the Mullahs from ever developing a nuclear weapon? Or does it merely delay them for a period of years? That is the key question that has not yet been clearly answered.
In his statement on the deal, President Obama seemed to suggest that Iran will never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon. He said that this "long-term deal with Iran... will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon." He then repeated this assurance: "because of this deal, the international community will be able to verify that the Islamic Republic of Iran will not be able to develop a nuclear weapon." These seemingly categorical statements were intended to assure the world that President Obama would keep his earlier promise that Iran will never be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.
But is that what the deal itself does? Or, as stated by its critics, does it actually assure that Iran will be allowed to develop a nuclear arsenal after a short delay of several years? That is the key question that the Obama administration has refused to answer directly. It must do so before Congress can be asked to buy a pig in a poke for the American people.
There is an enormous difference between a deal that merely delays Iran's development of a nuclear arsenal for a period of years and a deal that prevents Iran from ever developing a nuclear arsenal. Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and many other critics of this deal describe it as merely a delay, while the Obama administration seems to be suggesting by its rhetoric that the deal will prevent Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.
The Arak heavy water reactor, in Iran, is capable of producing plutonium. (Image source: Wikimedia Commons)
The devil is not so much in the details as in the broad outlines of this deal and its understanding by the parties. Does it or does it not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons after a relatively short moratorium? Iran certainly seems to believe that it does, Israel certainly believes that it does, and many in Congress -- both Republicans and Democrats -- seem to believe that it does. But the President seems to be telling the American public and the world that these critics are wrong: that Iran will never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon under this deal. Yet, just a few months ago, he seemed more cautious and candid in discussing his "fear" that "in year 13, 14, 15, they have advanced centrifuges that enrich uranium fairly rapidly, and at that point the breakout times would have shrunk almost down to zero." He also said that we have assurances of a yearlong breakout time "for at least well over a decade," implying that after that indeterminate time frame, the assurances will no longer be in place.
Obama's statement, despite its confusing and ambiguous context, has raised deep concerns among critics of the deal. Moreover, the text of the deal includes time frames of 8 years, 10 years and 15 years, which also generates confusion at a time when clarity is essential.
So which is it? Congress has a right to know, and so do the American people. Is it a postponement for an uncertain number of years -- 8, 10, 13, 14, 15 -- of Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon? Or is it an assurance that "Iran will not be able to develop a nuclear weapon?"
The Obama administration insists that this is not a "treaty," but rather a "deal." A deal is a contract, and for a contract to be valid there must be a "meeting of the minds." But has there been a meeting of the minds over the central issue of whether this deal allows Iran to develop a nuclear weapon after a moratorium whose precise time frame is unclear? And if there has been a meeting of the minds over this issue, what exactly is it?
Certainly the words of the Iranians are not the same as the words of President Obama. Whose words accurately represent the meaning of the contract we are being asked to sign?
The time has now come to be crystal clear about the meaning of this deal. If it is intended to prevent Iran from ever developing nuclear weapons, the President must say so in the clearest of terms, and he must get the Iranians to express agreement with that interpretation. Ambiguity may be a virtue at the beginning of a negotiation, but it is a vice in interpreting and implementing a deal with such high stakes.
Recall that President Bill Clinton made similar assurances with regard to North Korea back in 1994 -- as the accompanying chart shows. But within a few short years of signing a deal that he assured us would require the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear program, that country tested its first nuclear weapon. It now has a nuclear arsenal. How can we be sure that Iran will not act in a similar fashion?
The deal with Iran has been aptly characterized as a "leap of faith", "a bet" and a "roll of the dice" by David Sanger in a news analysis for the New York Times. The gamble is that by the time the most restrictive provisions of the deal expire, Iran will be a different country with more reasonable leaders. But can the world, and especially the nations most at risk from an Iranian nuclear arsenal, depend on faith, bets and dice, when they know that the last time the nuclear dice were rolled, they came up snake-eyes for America and its allies when North Korea ended up with nuclear weapons?
The burden of persuasion is now on the Obama administration to demonstrate that President Obama was accurately describing the deal when he said that it will "prevent" Iran from "obtaining a nuclear weapon." It is a heavy burden that will be - and should be - difficult to satisfy.
Chart Comparing Statements of President Obama on Iran and President Clinton on North Korea
President Obama's Statement on the Nuclear Agreement with Iran (July 14, 2015) President Clinton's Remarks on the Nuclear Agreement with North Korea (October 18, 1994)
On the Objectives of the Agreements
"After two years of negotiations, the United States, together with our international partners, has achieved something that decades of animosity has not: a comprehensive long- term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. This deal demonstrates that American diplomacy can bring about real and meaningful change, change that makes our country and the world safer and more secure." "Today, after 16 months of intense and difficult negotiations with North Korea we have completed an agreement that will make the United States, the Korean Peninsula, and the world safer."
On the Content and Implementation of the Agreements
Every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off, and the inspection and transparency regime necessary to verify that objective will be put in place.... Because of this deal we will for the first time be in a position to verify all of these commitments. That means this deal is not built on trust. It is built on verification." "This agreement represents the first step on the road to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. It does not rely on trust. Compliance will be certified by the International Atomic Energy Agency."
On the Implications of the Agreements
"A different path, one of tolerance and peaceful resolution of conflict, leads to more integration into the global economy, more engagement with the international community and the ability of the Iranian people to prosper and thrive. This deal offers an opportunity to move in a new direction. We should seize it." "It's [this agreement] a crucial step toward drawing North Korea into the global community .... The United States and North Korea have also agreed to ease trade restrictions and to move toward establishing liaison offices in each other's capitals. The offices will ease North Korea's isolation."
On Support for Regional Allies
"We will continue our unprecedented efforts to strengthen Israel's security, efforts that go beyond what any American administration has done before." "And the United States has an unshakeable commitment to protect our ally and our fellow democracy South Korea. Thirty-eight-thousand troops stationed on the Peninsula are the guarantors of that commitment."

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