Iran | Charles Duelfer | Page 5

Category Archives: Iran

Syria CW – Success, but so what?

Syria has missed its latest deadline to finish removing Chemical agent and precursors from its territory.  However, they almost made it–about 92% done.  Bashar al-Assad clearly has moved to fulfill his obligation to get rid of his CW capability.  There … Continue reading

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Syrian CW – The Slow Road to Latakia

Syria has will miss both target dates to remove its chemicals.  The most toxic amounts were due out at the end of the 2013 and the less dangerous components due out February 5th.   Security is not an excuse for the … Continue reading

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Iran Nuclear Talks – Progress?

The announcement of the new elements coming from the talks with Tehran represents progress of a sort.  Basically there is a trade between Iran’s ongoing ability to enrich uranium (and produce plutonium) that could be used in a weapon and … Continue reading

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Syrian CW – The Next Stage

OPCW head Mehmet Uzumcu announced today that the initial removal of some chemicals from Syria had taken place today.  Chemicals in their specially designed and built containers were loaded onto the Danish ship Ark Futura at the port of Latakia.  … Continue reading

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The Iran Nuclear Deal

    It is difficult to be categorical when judging this agreement. Much depends upon huge uncertainties that will play out over years or decades.  American politicians are condemned to focus on near-term costs and consequences.  Our system tends to … Continue reading

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Lavrov’s Plan

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has offered a plan that could provide a way out of the Obammá Syrian dilemma. Lavrov, who was Russian ambassador to the UN during the height of the Iraqi-UN weapons inspection activities, seems to have … Continue reading

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Response to US attack – Cyber?

It is hard to imagine Moscow or Tehran or Damascus doing absolutely nothing in response to a US attack. Will it be Cyber? If I were Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, that’s what I would be talking about with President Putin. … Continue reading

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Sniper Attacks on UN Inspectors – Not Surprising

Dr. Ake Seltron’s UN inspection team has now drawn sniper fire. Unfortunately, the UN inspectors are easy targets. To do their job, they have to be out in the open. Using highly visible UN SUVs may be questionable, but committed … Continue reading

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Syrian Agreement for Inspections–Why?

If Damascus is permitting the weapons inspectors access to the sites of recent apparent CW attack sites (as reported Sunday 25 August 2013) then why, if they had a role in the recent attacks? First, the weapons inspectors are only … Continue reading

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Syria CW Use: Who crossed whose red-line?

Did Bashir cross Obama’s redline, or the other way around? The perspective in Damascus may be different. The Syrian situation has taken yet another turn for the worse. Which is to say it has become even more unpredictable. The apparent … Continue reading

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