Good news from the Cold War front – Putin rings up Obama in the White House

#BarackObama #VladimirPutin #ISIS #Syria #Irannucleardeal #coldwar There appears to be some good news from the Cold War front. President Putin has rung up President Obama in the White House and expressed a desire to meet, sit down and try to find out a workable solution to solve the global problems that are being faced.
This has been reported in zeenews.india.com dated 26 June 2015.

The recent unrest in Ukraine over the annexation of Crimea by Russia coupled with the increasing clout and influence of the Islamic State, the civil war in Syria and Iran’s nuclear deal, are a few problems that has landed the world in a chaotic situation.
The face-off between the United States and Russia on Ukraine has led to the precipitation of a Cold War and, both sides want to have control of the northern areas - NATO has indicated that it would step up its military presence in eastern Europe, while Russia is trying to prevent that.
Already several sanctions have been slapped on individuals and organizations because of the Ukraine affair. President Putin has, all along, denied siding with the pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine and, the phone call with Obama, had been initiated by him.
The crisis in Ukraine has taken the lives of at least 6,500 people in a little over a year and a peace deal was struck in Minsk, Belarus.
The two leaders have also reportedly discussed Syria, where the self-proclaimed Islamic State group has made rapid gains, apart from the historic negotiations between world powers and Iran over its disputed nuclear program. They have also underscored the importance of continued P5+1 unity in ongoing negotiations to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.
(Image courtesy wikmediacommons.org)

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Iran nuclear deal could see Iran run centrifuges at its Fordo facilities

#irannucleardeal #fordo #centrifuges #uraniumemrichment The Iran nuclear deal is supposed to be finalized by end March and indications are there that Iran may get permission to retain a once-secret fortified bunker full of centrifuges in Fordo facility as part of a deal over its nuclear program.
This has been reported in news.sky.com dated 27 March 2015.

US officials who are negotiating the deal are believed to be considering a quid pro quo that would allow Iran to keep hundreds of centrifuges at its Fordo facility and, in return, it would reduce the number of centrifuges at other locations.
Under the agreement that is being worked out, the Fordo centrifuges would not be allowed to enrich uranium. However, other elements like zinc and xenon could be processed for medical and other scientific research. Incidentally, the existence of Fordo had been revealed early in the presidency of Barack Obama after western intelligence agencies had come across it.
The International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA has criticized Iran for breaching an agreement under which it is necessary to declare such facilities as they were being built. Fordo is seen as a symbol of Iran's record of concealing its nuclear program. An obvious inference is that Iran want to enrich uranium for military in purposes but Iran continues to deny any such intention. It maintains that its nuclear program is for civilian and peaceful ends only.

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Iranians hang Obama’s effigy from gallows even as Kerry pursues nuclear deal with Iran

#IranNuclearDeal #IslamicRevolution #sanctions #Tehran The U.S. and Iran have been trying to reach a final nuclear agreement on a nuclear deal by a March 31 deadline against a backdrop of ongoing anti-American hatred in the Islamic republic but, the ground reality shows that there is no love lost between the US and Iran.
It has been reported in foxnews.com dated 25 February 2015 that Iranians had shown an effigy of President Barack Obama hanging from the gallows at a huge Tehran-sponsored rally held to mark the Islamic Revolution’s 36th anniversary. US Secretary of State John Kerry has been depicted as a devious fox.
It seems hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in the Feb. 11 Revolution Day. This day commemorates the 1979 overthrow of the U.S.-assisted Shah of Iran and the Iranians, as they have in past, chanted, “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” and also burned and trampled an American flag.
The bone of contention is Iran’s nuclear ambitions – while the U.S. and other superpowers want to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, Iran continues to justify its stand by insisting that its nuclear intentions are peaceful. The U.S. and the other superpowers have been trying to work out a deal with Iran so that Iran’s nuclear program is put on hold and, in exchange, the U.S. would lift billions of dollars in sanctions that have damaged Iran’s economy. However, nothing seems to be happening.