World Press on Iran, Turkey and Caucasus (September 6-8, 2011)

The Washington Post reported that the United States, Britain, France and Germany are accusing Iran of violating U.N. sanctions prohibiting any launches using ballistic missile technology, as well as an arms embargo. U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said the four countries reported the ballistic missile violation to the Security Council committee monitoring sanctions against Iran. Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said the violation occurred when Iran launched the Rasad 1 satellite in June,, “which is dependent on ballistic missile technology.”

The same agency published an article headlined “The undimmed danger of Iran’s nuclear program.” It says that Iran has taken two more steps toward producing a nuclear weapon. According to a report released on Friday by the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has begun to use a new, more advanced centrifuge to enrich uranium, which could allow it to produce bomb-grade material in a much shorter time period, should it choose to do so. It has also begun installing centrifuges in a facility dug into a mountain near the city of Qom, which could be nearly invulnerable to a U.S. or Israeli air attack. Iranian officials say those centrifuges will be used to triple the production of 20-percent-enriched uranium, creating a stockpile for which Tehran has no plausible legitimate use.

“Iran offers new nuclear deal” is an article published by The Los Angeles Times. It says that Iran offered to open its nuclear program to five years of "full supervision" by the U.N. atomic energy agency if the world body lifts its sanctions, but made clear that it would forge ahead with its programs for uranium enrichment regardless. Fereydoun Abbasi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told the newspaper that Iran would be developing production lines for a new generation of centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium. He said the IAEA's allegation that the work could be in pursuit of nuclear weapons was "fabricated and baseless."

The New York Times reported that Russian natural gas began to flow on Tuesday through the Nord Stream pipeline under the Baltic Sea, inaugurating a controversial and expensive Russian-German project with geopolitical overtones. After about a month, the pipeline will reach sufficient pressure to operate, and then Gazprom, the Russian natural gas company, will start moving fuel along the route. A formal opening ceremony is scheduled for this autumn in Germany.

The same information agency published an article subtitled “Amid Tensions With Israel, Turkey Threatens Increased Naval Presence.” It says that Turkey is prepared to fortify sanctions against Israel and increase its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey said on Tuesday, as relations between the countries continued to fray over an Israeli raid on a Turkish-flagged ship last year. On Friday, after the release of a United Nations report on the Israeli raid, Turkey announced that it was downgrading its diplomatic and military ties with Israel and expelling the Israeli ambassador. The Turkish government was angered by Israel’s refusal to apologize for the deadly commando raid last year.

“Water fight ‘foreign plot’: Iranian official” is an article published by the Turkish information agency Hurriyet. The trend of water fights in the Islamic republic has been “orchestrated from abroad,” Iran’s prosecutor general said on Monday, referring to confessions of people arrested. The remarks came a day after deputy police chief Ahmad Reza Radan said “a handful of people” who tried to take part in water fights at a park in central Tehran were arrested last Friday. Radan said the group had been planning the water fight through the Internet and had “intended to break customs.” He vowed police would act to prevent future attempts and those participants on trial. Water fights by young Iranians have angered the Islamic regime, which is wary of unofficial gatherings, particularly in large cities, over fears they could ignite demonstrations.