AFP: An Iranian man whose legs were blown off during an alleged botched bomb plot last year against Israeli diplomats in Bangkok said Friday he found the explosives and was trying to dispose of them safely when they detonated.
Iranian pair deny Thai bomb plot
Japan buying less Iranian oil year-on-year
UPI: Japanese crude oil imports from Iran were down more than 150,000 barrels per day in March compared to a year ago, Finance Ministry data show.
Iran waiting for word on nuclear talks
UPI: The Iranian government is waiting for word from the international community on nuclear consultations, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said.
Lebanon dragged in as Hezbollah joins Syria war
Reuters: Along north Lebanon’s highways, the portraits of Hezbollah militants who have died in skirmishes with Israel are fading. But there are glistening photos of those killed in Hezbollah’s new fight.
Iranian scientist freed by U.S., reaches Oman
Reuters: An Iranian scientist held for more than a year in California on charges of violating U.S. sanctions arrived in Muscat on Friday, after being freed in what the Omani foreign ministry said was a humanitarian gesture.
Oil-rich Emirates a key part of defense against Iran
USA Today: This small, oil-rich country across the Persian Gulf from Iran will soon be bristling with more high-tech weapons to counter its neighbor.
U.K.’s Hague questioned by lawmaker to clarify policy on Iran
Bloomberg: U.K. lawmaker Richard Ottaway who chairs Parliament’s cross-party Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to Foreign Secretary William Hague asking him to clarify whether he agrees with U.S. policy to “do whatever is necessary” to prevent Iran from accessing nuclear weapons.
Iran told Hezbollah to join Syrian war, says ex-leader
Bloomberg: Iran pressed Hezbollah fighters to join the civil war in Syria to bolster President Bashar al- Assad’s armed struggle, according to Sobhi al-Tofaili, a disaffected former leader of the militant group.
Illegal fishing crackdown in Somalia, 78 Iranians detained
Reuters: Maritime police in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland seized five Iranian ships and detained 78 Iranians in a rare crackdown on illegal fishing in Somalia.
Why Iran is trying to save the Syrian regime
U.S. News & World Report: Iran is the Syrian regime’s biggest supporter, even more so than Russia. Tehran’s ties with Damascus have historically been based on shared strategic interests, including thwarting U.S. and Israeli power in the Middle East.
