White House Spokesman Jay Carney Denied That White House Advisor David Plouffe Should Have Known About MTN’s Connections To Iran, Saying It Was “Several Years Ago Prior To The Dynamic We Have Now With In Regards To Sanctions And Companies Like This.” ABC’S JONATHAN KARL: “President Obama came into office talking about a higher standard. Is there any concern about this kind of, you know - $100,000 in Nigeria to a South African company. I mean it was widely reported, it had been reported even in The New York Times that they had business dealings with Iran. Is there any concern at all about this?” WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY: “I’m not sure I understand the nature of your question. This was prior to David Plouffe coming to office here working in the White House. It was before the watchdog group had even made an issue of this particular holding company. And again, this is political criticism after the fact that’s clearly designed to try to score some points when this was several years ago prior to the dynamic we have now with in regards to sanctions and companies like this.” (White House Press Briefing, Washington, D.C., 8/6/12)

The White House Spin Ignores MTN’s Long-Known History Of Aiding The Iranian Regime’s Crackdown On Its Own People

November 2005 – MTN Group Reaches A Deal With Iran’s Government For A Cellphone License And 49 Percent Stake In Irancell. “MTN paid (EURO)300m for the second cellphone license in Iran after it agreed with local shareholders to take a 49% stake in IranCell. Iran’s government was in the process of issuing the license, said MTN, whose shares hit a fresh high of R61,70 on the news.” (Lesley Stones, “MTN’s Iran Deal Bulks Up Share Price,” Business Day [South Africa], 11/23/05)

2006 – In State Department Cables MTN’s Iranian Affiliate, MTN Irancell, Was Referred To As Being “Fully Owned” By The Iranian Revolutionary Guard. “In 2006, Stuart Levey, then undersecretary of the Treasury and the point man on Iran sanction enforcement in the Bush administration — a job he also held for two years under Obama — told Turkish officials that Irancell was ‘fully owned’ by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to a State Department cable made public by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks.” (Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten, “Obama Associate Got $100,000 Fee From Affiliate Of Firm Doing Business With Iran,” The Washington Post, 8/6/12)

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The Words:

Obama: “We’re Going To Keep Up The Pressure, With The Strongest U.S. Sanctions To Date And The European Union Preparing To Impose An Embargo On Iranian Oil.” PRESIDENT OBAMA: “We are determined to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  We believe there is still time and space to pursue a diplomatic solution, and we’re going to keep coordinating closely with our P5-plus-1 partners.  At the same time, we’re going to keep up the pressure, with the strongest U.S. sanctions to date and the European Union preparing to impose an embargo on Iranian oil.  Tehran must understand that it cannot escape or evade the choice before it — meet your international obligations or face the consequences.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At A Joint Press Conference With U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, Washington, DC, 3/14/12)

The Reality:

The Wall Street Journal: “Thanks To Lobbying By The Obama Administration, The Sanctions Law Contained Several Loopholes You Could Drive A Warhead Through.” “This is possible because, thanks to lobbying by the Obama Administration, the sanctions law contained several loopholes you could drive a warhead through. One provided that if a country ‘significantly reduced’ its oil imports from Iran, the State Department could exempt it from sanctions for a renewable period of six months. Naturally, the definition of a significant reduction was left to the Administration’s discretion. As of last week, we know that its definition is trifling: India earned a free pass after merely pledging to cut its Iran imports by 11%, and Japan earned one after cutting 22% of its Iranian business in 2011. Then there’s China, the Islamic Republic’s biggest customer, which is now exempt after cutting Iran imports by 25% between January and May (measured year-over-year).” (Editorial, “Obama’s Iran Loopholes,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/2/12)

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Obama Campaign Officials Intend To Use Biden’s National Security Speech At NYU To “Draw The Sharpest Contrast Yet Between The Administration’s Record On Foreign Policy And Governor Mitt Romney’s Foreign Policy Positions,” But What About Their Own Campaign Promises?

ON IRAN

Obama Didn’t Think Iran Was A Threat

In May 2008, Obama Called Iran A “Tiny” Country That Doesn’t “Pose A Serious Threat To Us.” OBAMA: “Strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries. That’s what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That’s what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That’s what Nixon did with Mao. I mean think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela — these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we’re going to wipe you off the planet. And ultimately that direct engagement led to a series of measures that helped prevent nuclear war, and over time allowed the kind of opening that brought down the Berlin Wall. Now, that has to be the kind of approach that we take. You know, Iran, they spend one-one hundredth of what we spend on the military. If Iran ever tried to pose a serious threat to us, they wouldn’t stand a chance. And we should use that position of strength that we have to be bold enough to go ahead and listen. That doesn’t mean we agree with them on everything. We might not compromise on any issues, but at least we should find out other areas of potential common interest, and we can reduce some of the tensions that has caused us so many problems around the world.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Pendelton, OR, 5/18/08)

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ON RUSSIA

As Candidates, Both Obama And Biden Called Putin A Threat

Obama In 2005: “I Believe The Most Important Threat To the Security Of The United States Continues To Lie Within The Border Of The Former Soviet Union.” “Throughout the last half of the 20th century, one nation more than any other on the face of the Earth, defined and shaped the threats posed to the United States. This nation, of course, was the Soviet Union and its successor state, Russia. While many have turned their attention to China or other parts of the world, I believe the most important threat to the security of the United States continues to lie within the borders of the former Soviet Union in the form of stockpiles of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and materials.”  (Senator Barack Obama, Congressional Record, 5/25/05, p. S5862)

• Obama: “The Threat Is Still Extremely Dangerous And Extremely Real.” “The situation in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union is drastically different than it was in 1991 or even 1996 or 2001. But, the threat is still extremely dangerous and extremely real.” (Senator Barack Obama, Congressional Record, 5/25/05, p. S5863)
   
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