Belfer Iran Brief—Bilateral nuclear negotiations and other news

Highlights

• The U.S. and Iran held bilateral meeting in Geneva on Thursday to discuss nuclear talks. It was the first such meeting since talks were extended in July. 

• Russia and Iran signed an economic memorandum of understanding, providing for cooperation between the two countries on electricity infrastructure, oil and gas, and trade. 

• The International Monetary Fund said that Iran’s economy is stabilizing, largely due to the Rouhani administration’s economic policies.

Diplomacy and nuclear issue

• Iranian nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi said that a meeting between Iran and the P5+1 is likely to occur at the U.N. General Assembly in September. (Reuters, 8/5/14)

• The U.S. and Iran held a bilateral meeting in Geneva on Thursday to discuss nuclear talks. It was the first such meeting since talks were extended in July. (WSJ, 8/7/14)

• U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and vice presidential advisor Jake Sullivan will continue their involvement in P5+1-Iran talks after they leave their current jobs this fall. (Reuters, 8/7/14)

Sanctions and Iran’s economy

• Money supply in Iran increased over 30% year on year in June. (Tehran Times, 8/6/14)

• The International Monetary Fund said that Iran’s economy is stabilizing, largely due to the Rouhani administration’s economic policies. (Bloomberg, 8/5/14)

• Russia and Iran signed an economic memorandum of understanding, providing for cooperation between the two countries on electricity infrastructure, oil and gas, and trade. (Tehran Times, 8/6/14) Note: This MOU was misreported in many outlets as being a conclusion of the “oil-for-goods” deal that Iran and Russia have been negotiating since January. Instead, the MOU provides for negotiations to begin next month on a radically downsized oil-for-goods contract, some 90% smaller than was discussed in January. (Reuters, 8/5/14, Middle East Online, 8/6/14)

Iranian domestic politics

• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani proposed a new journalism guild to replace the previous guild, which was shut down during the post-election unrest in 2009. (Al-Monitor, 8/7/14)

US-Iran relations

• Iran has denied Switzerland the right to see two journalists holding dual Iranian and American citizenship who were detained in July. (WaPo, 8/6/14)

Geopolitics and Iran

• Iran, along with Ayatollah Ali Sistani, has withdrawn its support from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and is considering new candidates to lead Iraq, according to an unnamed Iranian official. (Reuters, 8/5/14)

• Iran is allowing Turkish trucks to enter northern Iraq through Iran to avoid the front lines of the battle between ISIS and Kurdish Peshmerga. (Reuters, 7/8/14)

• Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described Israeli actions in the Gaza Strip as “genocide” in a speech in Tehran. (Tehran Times, 7/8/14)

Israel

• No significant developments.

“Red lines,” “points of no return,” and military strikes

• No significant developments.

Uncertain or dubious claims

• No significant claims.