Wall Street Journal: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has decided to keep Iran’s nuclear program within limits demanded by Israel for now, according to senior U.S., European and Israeli officials, in a move they believe is designed to avert an international crisis during an Iranian election year.
Iran cools nuclear work as vote looms
Iranian tourists in Egypt showcase warming ties
AP: More than 50 Iranian tourists arrived by boat to the ancient city of Luxor on Monday as part of a rare visit that showcases how much ties between the two countries have warmed since Islamist President Mohammed Morsi came to power last year.
Iranians rebel over price of beloved pistachio
AP: This should be the time of year that nut shop owner Mohammad Ahmadi counts his profits, after the recent Persian new year holiday when Iranians scarf up huge amounts of their iconic snack, pistachios.
At the U.N., Iran is a powerhouse, not a pariah
Wall Street Journal: President Obama likes to describes Iran as “isolated.” But there is nothing lonely about Iran’s berth at the United Nations, where in the corridors and on the boards of powerful agencies, the Islamic Republic has been cultivating its own mini-empire.
The best red line for a nuclear Iran
Washington Post: As the great powers contemplate a solution to the Iranian nuclear conundrum, they would be prudent to appreciate how Tehran uses diplomacy to complement its quest for nuclear arms.
Bahraini given 10-year jail term for spying for Iran
AFP: A Bahraini accused of spying for Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards unit has had his 10-year jail sentence confirmed by a court of appeal, the state news agency BNA reported.
Sanctions push Iran inflation above 30 percent
Reuters: Iran’s inflation rate has climbed above 30 percent under the impact of international economic sanctions, according to figures released by the government’s statistics centre.
North Korean secrecy on bomb test fuels speculation on nuclear advances
Washington Post: The United States was already concerned about an agreement between North Korea and Iran pledging technical and scientific cooperation.
Over 50 Iranian tourists visit southern Egypt
AP: More than 50 Iranian tourists visited sites in southern Egypt on Sunday amid tight security as part of a bilateral tourism promotion deal that has generated some controversy.
Iran sanctions spur boom for Pakistani diesel smugglers
Reuters: Some of the contraband is spirited across the mountains in Pepsi bottles carried by child smugglers. Yet more is loaded into pick-up trucks or siphoned into barrels and strapped onto mules.
