USA Today: History, it is said, doesn’t repeat itself, but occasionally it does rhyme. So it is with Western policy toward Iran, which is on the verge of returning to the costly rhythm of the past. To understand why, it’s necessary to recall the summer of 1997. That was when a relatively obscure, soft-line cleric named Mohammad Khatami unexpectedly emerged as the front-runner for the Iranian presidency.
Iran’s new president won’t compromise
New Qatar emir extends hand to ‘all’, replaces PM
AFP: Qatar’s new emir on Wednesday said his country seeks strong ties with “all governments” in his first speech since taking power, as he swept aside the powerful prime minister who had served his father before him.
Rohani will continue Iran’s help for Assad, says lawmaker
Bloomberg: Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rohani will not change the country’s policy of supporting Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war, according to a member of the Iranian parliament.
Egypt detains Shi’ite activist over weapons possession
Reuters: Security forces detained an Egyptian Shi’ite activist for possessing of illegal weapons two days after Shi’ites were killed in an attack by Sunni Muslims in a town near Cairo, a prosecution source said on Wednesday.
Iran’s Khamenei says nuclear talks easy if enemy not stubborn
Reuters: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday the dispute over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program could easily be resolved if the West were to stop being so stubborn.
Kerry in Kuwait on swing through Asia, Mideast
AP: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is making his first visit to Kuwait as America’s top diplomat, having talks with the tiny, oil-rich country’s leader about deepening violence in Syria, Iran’s new president and prospects for peace in the Mideast.
Iran urges Qatar’s new emir to revise Syria policy
Reuters: Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi on Wednesday urged Qatar’s new Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to revise his country’s policy of backing Syrian rebel groups.
Iran’s new president looks westward for nuke talks
AP: Hasan Rouhani knew there was an element of risk. Just a week before Iran’s election gatekeepers announced the presidential ballot, Rouhani said one-on-one talks with Washington are the only way for breakthroughs in the nuclear standoff, given that the United States – as he put it – is the world’s “sheriff.”
Ahmadinejad to attend GECF summit in Moscow
Xinhua: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will attend a summit meeting of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF) in Russia next month, semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.
Talk to Iran’s new president. Warily.
New York Times: The election of Hassan Rowhani as Iran’s new president has created a sense that there are new possibilities of progress on the nuclear issue; we need to respond, but warily.
