Iran
The U.S. and Europe are working on new coordinated measures intended to accelerate the recent plunge of Iran’s currency and drain its foreign-exchange reserves, according to officials from the Obama administration, U.S. Congress and European Union. – Wall Street Journal
The chief of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog urged Iran Thursday to engage in fresh talks on its nuclear ambitions in an effort to end months of stalemate that has denied inspectors access to the country’s key nuclear facilities. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Antigovernment protests in Iran linked to the country’s weakening currency have raised hopes in Israel that international sanctions are working to undermine Tehran, lowering the likelihood of an Israeli strike against Iranian nuclear targets in the coming months. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
With harsh economic sanctions contributing to the first major protests in Iran in three years, Iranian officials have begun to describe what they call a “nine-step plan” to defuse the nuclear crisis with the West by gradually suspending the production of the uranium that would be easiest for them to convert into a nuclear weapon. – New York Times
Most merchants in Tehran’s grand bazaar reopened for business on Thursday as an unusually large number of police officers were deployed around the city’s black-market money trading district, witnesses reported, a day after a crackdown on suspected speculators led to civil disturbances and a large protest march by Iranians demanding relief from the plummeting value of the currency, the rial. – New York Times
For months, since the imposition of harsh, American-led sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, the country’s leaders have sworn they would never succumb to Western pressures, and they scoffed at the idea that the measures were having any serious impact. But after a week in which the Iranian currency, the rial, fell by a shocking 40 percent and protests began to rumble through the capital, no one is making light of the mounting costs of confrontation. – New York Times
Prices for beef and lamb had already soared out of reach, meaning fewer of the kebabs and stews beloved by middle-class Iranians. But when the cost of yogurt spiked this week, Iran’s economic troubles hit home for virtually every household in the country. – Washington Post
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates cautioned against a U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities on Wednesday, warning that the consequences could be catastrophic. – DEFCON Hill
Iran will defeat an enemy “conspiracy” against its foreign currency and gold markets, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday, following violent protests that forced the closure of Tehran’s grand bazaar. – Reuters
The European Union is poised to ban imports of Iranian gas as part of a set of new measures to ratchet up pressure on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear programme, diplomats said on Thursday. – Reuters
Chuck Freilich writes: A decision to attack, should one be made, will occur only if Israel believes that time is truly running out and that all other options have been exhausted. A strike will be controversial, and different people will have legitimate, and vehement, disagreements. The cartoon bomb that Netanyahu wielded at the United Nations may have been a useful prop, but Israel’s exhaustive decision-making process is not so easily caricatured. – Foreign Policy
Syria
Turkish officials declared their country does not want to enter a war with Syria, even as lawmakers authorized further military operations against the embattled nation and Turkish artillery struck Syrian positions for a second day. – Los Angeles Times
The Pentagon on Thursday sided firmly with its NATO ally Turkey after it conducted retaliatory attacks on Syrian artillery positions, following a formal admission of fault by the Syrian government to the U.N. – The E-Ring
The U.N. Security Council on Thursday condemned a Syrian mortar attack on a Turkish border town that killed five people and demanded that “such violations of international law stop immediately and are not repeated.” – Reuters
Syrian rebels say they captured an air defense base with a cache of missiles outside Damascus, a rare advance in a city where President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have them on the back foot. – Reuters
Editorial: Turkey has a significant military, but the country is not strong enough or politically assertive enough to topple Assad without U.S. help. The same goes for the Saudis and Gulf states. They are all waiting for U.S. leadership, but in this case the U.S. isn’t even willing to lead from behind. So the conflict spreads anyway, raising the prospect that the U.S. will have to intervene anyway, perhaps at a far higher cost. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Soner Cagaptay writes: The tumult of the Arab Spring has led Ankara to revise its erstwhile autarchic foreign policy and Turkey now seeks security with NATO — a shift symbolized by Ankara’s agreement in September 2011 to host a major missile-defense project that NATO can use as a bulwark against Iran, as well as Russia and China. Still, given Obama and Erdogan’s divergent policies on Syria, a storm between them appears almost unavoidable. – Washington Post
Cagaptay also writes: Turkey will likely get away with this week’s reprisal, thereby giving a considerable morale boost to the Syrian rebels. Assad’s regime got markedly weaker this week, and will get weaker still as Turkey paves the way for action against Assad, one strike at a time. – Wall Street Journal Europe
Mohammed and Omar al-Nidawi write: [Iraq] has a genuine interest in a stable and positive outcome in Syria, because if Syria fails, Iraq’s worst days will surely follow. Al-Maliki has a chance to lead a mission with his Iraqi partners to spare Iraq and Syria further destruction, and also change the growing impression that he is becoming an autocrat. The guidance and encouragement of the United States and international community are necessary catalysts that should come without delay. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Libya
Amid the chaos of the attack on the U.S. mission in this coastal city last month, neither the militia charged with guarding the compound nor American diplomats appeared to follow plans for what to do under assault, according to Libyan officials and guards, as well as documents found in the wreckage. – Washington Post
Escorted by several dozen Special Operations forces, F.B.I. agents on Thursday entered the ruins of the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, as part of their investigation into the killings there of ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. – New York Times
Weeks before the presidential election, President Barack Obama’s administration faces mounting opposition from within the ranks of U.S. intelligence agencies over what career officers say is a “cover up” of intelligence information about terrorism in North Africa. – Washington Free Beacon
U.S. Special Operations forces are in Libya and nearby countries aiding in the collection of intelligence regarding suspected Libyan militia who were part of the deadly assault on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, a U.S. military official told CNN. – CNN’s Security Clearance
The Pentagon and State and Justice departments are launching an overall review of the security situation in Libya prior to the terrorist attack last month on the U.S. Consulate that left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. – DEFCON Hill
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland on Thursday dismissed concerns that sensitive information may have been jeopardized because the consulate where Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans died on Sept. 11 still hasn’t been secured more than three weeks later. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Two suspects in the killing of U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens have been detained at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, Turkish broadcaster Kanal D reported on its website on Friday. – Reuters
Protesters who believed their town was underrepresented in a proposed Libyan government stormed the national assembly on Thursday as it prepared to scrutinize the prime minister-elect’s nominations. – Reuters
Josh Rogin reports: The State Department’s Accountability Review Board (ARB), meant to review the circumstances surrounding the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, met for the first time at the State Department Thursday. – The Cable
Egypt
A U.S.-based nonprofit group dedicated to improving U.S.-Egyptian ties is launching an advocacy campaign to get Congress to release $450 million in foreign aid that’s being held up by the chairwoman of the Appropriations subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Two prominent House conservatives asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a letter Thursday if her goal in sending more aid to Egypt is to help Islamists take over the country. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Analysis: [Morsi’s] political fortunes and those of the Muslim Brotherhood which propelled him to power may well depend on his delivering on more mundane issues such as easing traffic congestion and bread and fuel shortages by October 7 as promised. – Reuters
Yemen
A drone strike killed 5 suspected al Qaeda militants in southern Yemen by striking two vehicles, according to reports from the region. – DEFCON Hill
Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has asked the electoral commission to push ahead with planning for provincial elections in April, his media advisor said on Friday, despite legal challenges that could end in the dissolution of the commission. – Reuters
Levant
The Palestinian Authority is expected to move forward with its bid to become a non-member state at the United Nations next month, the president of the General Assembly has confirmed, to the dismay of the Obama administration and congressional Republicans who say the unilateral move would derail any chance of peace with Israel. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Jordan is heading for a potentially divisive parliamentary election in the coming months, after King Abdullah issued a royal decree to dissolve the current legislature. – Financial Times
Jordan’s main Islamist opposition is preparing to flex its muscles in a march on Friday that could be its biggest demonstration since Arab Spring-inspired protests last year against the slow pace of political reform. – Reuters
The United States on Thursday imposed financial penalties on two Lebanese charities that fundraise for Hamas, an effort by the Obama administration to disrupt the Islamist group’s activities. – Reuters
Turkey
Turkey’s ruling AK Party named former Islamist Numan Kurtulmus as a deputy party leader responsible for the economy on Thursday in a sign the party was seeking to woo more conservative voters. – Reuters
Afghanistan
The Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, on Thursday accused the United States of playing a “double game” by fighting a war against Afghan insurgents rather than their backers in Pakistan, and by refusing to supply his country with the weapons it needs to fight enemies across the border. He threatened to turn to China, India and Russia for those arms. – New York Times
The vast majority of attacks by Afghan soldiers on their U.S. and NATO counterparts are the result of a “mutation” of terrorist tactics rather than a difference in cultural sensitivities, a senior Afghan official said Thursday. – CNN’s Security Clearance
Afghanistan has imposed a cap on U.S. dollar flows across the border with Iran amid clashes there between Iranian police and protesters prompted by a collapse in the rial currency, Afghan police said on Thursday. – Reuters
Josh Rogin reports: The negotiations between the United States and the Taliban for the release of American soldier Bowe Bergdahl are indefinitely stalled following the Afghan government’s demand to be included in them, a senior Afghan government official said Thursday. – The Cable
South Asia
In his upstart campaign to become Pakistan’s next prime minister, Imran Khan, a magnetic ex-cricket star and ardent foe of U.S. policy, draws delirious crowds by the tens of thousands who seemingly would follow him anywhere. But this weekend, Khan, who wants to lead his supporters into the dangerous tribal region to protest CIA drone attacks, appears to be headed for a roadblock: Pakistan’s formidable military. – Washington Post
In their second major effort in two months to revive a flagging economy, Indian policy makers on Thursday proposed letting foreign investors take a bigger stake in insurance and pension companies. – New York Times
Sadanand Dhume writes: It’s true that India’s middle class, long divorced from politics out of a belief that it lacked the numbers to influence outcomes, needs exactly the kind of awakening Mr. Kejriwal’s anticorruption party promises. But unless India’s moral fervor is yoked to an accurate understanding of what ails the country—politicians with too much say in business rather than the other way round—it could end up doing more harm than good. – Wall Street Journal Asia (subscription required)
China
Executives at Chinese telecommunications firms are bracing for a possibly unfavorable report from the House Intelligence Committee, which has been investigating whether the companies pose a national security risk to American computer networks. – National Journal
Kareem Amer, Maikel Nabil, Ahmed Batebi, Hadeel Kouki, and Ahed Al Hendi write: Mr. Ai has said, “Once you’ve tasted freedom, it stays in your heart and no one can take it. Then, you can be more powerful than a whole country.” We agree. All of us have tasted freedom—but have also spent a combined 15 years in prison for voicing dissent. Today, although he is denied his basic human rights, Mr. Ai is more powerful than ever. It is the moral duty of all people to stand in solidarity with Ai Weiwei. His fate and China’s future are one. – Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
East Asia
The islands, administered by South Korea but claimed by Japan, provide a window into Asia’s fastest-growing problem, the fight over small bits of land that have oversize and symbolic importance. – Washington Post
The territorial debate over the islets, known as Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, is one of several simmering in Asia that some analysts fear could lead to hostilities, many of them tied to China’s rise and its increasingly assertive claims to territory in the South China Sea. – New York Times
Taiwan’s air force said Oct. 4 it has grounded all its Mirage jet fighters after one of its pilots died while conducting a training mission in France. – AFP
Michael Auslin writes: Whatever course China’s leadership chooses, it will continue to believe itself to be wronged and that Japan precipitated this crisis by unilaterally trying to change the islands’ status. Japan asserts that its 40 years of administrative control simply reflect its rightful ownership of the islands dating back a century. Shots may be avoided, but the cold war between Beijing and Tokyo is real and on display for all to see. However the current crisis gets resolved, it seems a safe bet that relations will only grow chillier with time. – Foreign Policy
Koreas
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday sought to debunk North Korea’s argument that it needs to maintain a strong military and nuclear weapons program in order to deter foreign threats, Agence France-Presse reported. – Global Security Newswire
The United States on Wednesday refused to discuss rumors it had agreed to allow South Korea to extend its permitted ballistic missile range, according to a Yonhap News Agency report. – Global Security Newswire
North Korea last week launched a limited-distance missile into the Yellow Sea in what is seen as an assessment of the weapon and a warning to South Korea, the Yonhap News Agency reported on Thursday. – Global Security Newswire
Bruce Klinger writes: [T]he United States and its allies should be wary of growing calls to retread the same tired path of offering concessions without gaining reciprocal actions by Pyongyang. Otherwise, the latest North Korean three-card monte dealer would have found a patsy willing to ante up for another game. – Los Angeles Times
Burma
Myanmar, in short, has begun to search for a national identity defined by its people, not the cloistered vision imposed by military governments that took power in 1962 and relinquished control only last year. The demise of dictatorship has uncorked five decades of bottled-up opinions — lots of opinions. – New York Times
Russia
A researcher in Human Rights Watch’s office in Moscow received repeated threats this week of an attack focused on her pregnancy, the rights group said, calling it the latest example of escalating pressure against rights and civic groups in Russia. – New York Times
Russian officials had a muted response on Thursday to a potentially embarrassing revelation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation that it had uncovered a ring of Russian agents that was smuggling microchips out of the United States. – New York Times
Russia’s young Web users may find themselves stuck in second gear on the information superhighway when a new Internet law takes effect in the coming weeks. – WSJ’s Emerging Europe
Russia is considering allowing western companies to own oil licences in its Arctic waters, a bold concession that would make the world’s second largest crude producer much more attractive to foreign investors. – Financial Times
Georgia
Georgia’s fragile postelection calm was shaken Thursday, as triumphant members of the Georgian Dream coalition challenged a dozen regional vote counts in hopes of securing additional parliamentary seats, and others began to call for punishing officials from the departing government. – New York Times
The victorious Georgian Dream coalition faces the perilous task of forming a government and articulating a program that is more nuanced than mere opposition to President Mikheil Saakashvili. – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
The winner of Georgia’s parliamentary election urged his supporters on Thursday to end street protests against alleged vote rigging by rivals allied to President Mikheil Saakashvili. – Reuters
United States of America
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will deliver a foreign policy speech Monday at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., his campaign announced Thursday. – The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room
A Washington-based defense think tank on Thursday began an ad campaign slamming GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney on national security. – DEFCON Hill
Josh Rogin reports: The top echelon of Mitt Romney‘s national security transition team is largely in place and it includes both hawkish and centrist GOP foreign-policy professionals, The Cable has learned. – The Cable
United Nations
The State Department put the United Nations on notice Thursday that it will press the world body to adopt a “more efficient, entrepreneurial culture” during the annual session that started last week. – The Hill’s Global Affairs
Venezuela
Chavez is seeking a third six-year term, on top of his first two years in office before the constitution was changed to allow longer periods in office. Nearly 19 million Venezuelans are eligible to vote in the election pitting Chavez against Henrique Capriles, the former Miranda state governor. – Los Angeles Times
With Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez facing the most serious re-election challenge of his 14-year reign, international observers are bracing for the possibility of social unrest if the outcome is close when voters go to the polls Sunday. – Washington Times
Mali
U.N. political affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman told a closed Security Council meeting on Thursday that Mali urgently needed international help to reclaim the north of the country from Islamist militants and that “time is not on our side,” U.N envoys said. – Reuters
East Africa
[The Puntland Maritime Police Force’s] fate makes the story of the pirate hunters for hire a case study in the inherent dangers in the outsourced wars in Somalia, where the United States and other countries have relied on proxy forces and armed private contractors to battle pirates and, increasingly, Islamic militants. – New York Times
Sudan and South Sudan will remain locked in conflict despite reaching a border security deal last week because they do not trust each other enough to resolve their biggest disputes, leading Sudanese opposition figure Hassan al-Turabi said. – Reuters
The State Department said on Thursday it was “appalled” by an attack that killed four Nigerian peacekeepers and wounded eight others earlier this week in Sudan’s western Darfur region. – Reuters
