Monday, November 04, 2013

Frosty Reception: Rouhani’s Thaw Doing Little to Rid Skepticism of US


Iran's supreme leader is warning the country's hardliners against undermining the nuclear negotiations, defending the President's course of action. Within Iran, there's deep skepticism of any good intentions from Washington, when it comes to the country asserting its right to atomic energy. One former adviser to Iran's nuclear negotiating team told us that's because people see the US is engaged in constant double-speak. The worsening economic situation inside Iran means the country's finding other ways to make ends meet. China has reportedly agreed to finance various projects by unblocking 22-billion-euros of oil assets. Beijing and Tehran deal in the Yuan, not the dollar, so the sanctions don't affect China's business with its third-biggest crude oil supplier. Political analyst Seyed Mohammad Marandi says the US agenda is splintering.