Iran after the election; Netanyahu backs Palestinian state – with conditions; Japan's Opposition strengthens; Recession to dominate central Asian summit; and more

Top of the Agenda: Iran Aftermath, Netanyahu Speech

Iran's disputed presidential vote continued to cast a long shadow following a weekend of conflicting news reports. Today the New York Times reports Iran's government has banned protests planned by the country's reformist opposition, which says it won Friday's vote, and that the government has moved to detain protestors and critics. After Iran's government declared protests planned by the leading reformist candidate in the election, Mir Hossein Mousavi, to be illegal, the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged Mousavi to pursue his objections to the vote legally, prompting Mousavi to call off the protests. But BBC reports the rally is being held in Tehran despite the government ban, and Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, another defeated reformist candidate, are now expected to address the crowd.

The Washington Post has a news analysis saying U.S. President Barack Obama's muted response to the apparent political turmoil in Iran reflects the challenges Iran's electoral aftermath poses for the Middle East peace process and for the U.S. administration.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a watershed speech at Bar Ilan University yesterday, prompting very mixed response from the major players in the Mideast peace process and from analysts. Here is the text of the speech. Following diplomatic pressure from the United States, Netanyahu reversed his former position and endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state, drawing praise from the United States and European Union. Netanyahu's speech, however, was packed with conditions that Palestinians deemed excessive, and Palestinian negotiators said it effectively "closed the door" on peace talks (al-Jazeera).

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter criticized the speech on the same grounds, saying in an address to Israeli lawmakers that Netanyahu's demands that Israeli settlement expansion continue and that Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state despite its non-Jewish minority could scuttle hopes for peace (Haaretz).

Analysis and Background:

Gary Sick, who worked on Iranian affairs for three U.S. administrations, says in an interview that Washington should react cautiously to Iran's apparently "stolen" election.

An interactive timeline of U.S.-Iran relations.

A Crisis Guide to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 

PACIFIC RIM: Japan By-Election

Japan's opposition Democratic Party (DPJ) won its third straight by-election ahead of closely-watched general elections later this year (BBC).

N.KOREA-S.KOREA: North Korea said South Korean requests for the United States to provide extended nuclear deterrence were a "criminal act" aimed at provoking a war (Yonhap).

 

ELSEWHERE:

SCO summit opens in Russia.

This is an excerpt of the CFR.org Daily News Brief. The full version is available on CFR.org.