AP:
Iran sought Tuesday to spell out in its clearest terms yet that it is not seeking nuclear weapons, highlighting a religious decree issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that bans nuclear weapons.
Iran: Khamenei’s ban on nuclear weapons binding
Syria PM in Iran talks: report
AFP: Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaqi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday for consultations with his beleaguered regime’s key regional ally, state television reported.
U.N. nuclear watchdog eyes Iran deal, Parchin visit
Reuters: The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday it hoped to gain access to the Parchin military site during a visit to Iran this week aimed at unblocking an investigation into suspected atom bomb research in the Islamic state.
Iran says capable of jamming foes’ communication systems
Reuters: Iran can disrupt enemy communication systems as part of its growing “electronic warfare” capabilities, a senior Iranian commander was quoted as saying on Tuesday.
Iranian suspects deny Thai blast plot: lawyer
AFP: Two Iranians on trial for an alleged botched bomb plot against Israeli diplomats in Bangkok appeared in court again Tuesday as their Thai lawyer protested their innocence.
Tribunal finds Iran guilty of torture and murder of political prisoners
Maclean’s: For decades, relatives of victims and survivors of Iran’s bloody decade felt silenced and forgotten, cut off from any means of seeking justice. The International Criminal Court cannot prosecute crimes committed before July 1, 2002; and even if it could, Iran does not accept the court’s jurisdiction.
Iraq frees prisoners in gesture to ease Sunni protests
Reuters: Iraq’s government has released more than 300 prisoners held under anti-terrorism laws as a goodwill gesture to try to appease Sunni Muslim demonstrators who are staging protests against Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
Iran set for 2014 nuclear capability: US think tank
AFP: Iran is on track to be able to produce material for at least one nuclear bomb by mid-2014 as sanctions hit its economy but fail to stop the atomic program, a US think tank said Monday.
Netanyahu conundrum faces Iranian riddle
Reuters: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a simple message as he seeks a third term in office – he is a strong man and a vote for him at parliamentary elections on January 22 means Israel will be a powerful nation.
Low profile no more, new House foreign affairs chair eyes Iran
Reuters: After 20 years working on international relations in Congress, Representative Ed Royce takes over the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee with one goal firmly in mind: a harder line, with tighter sanctions, on Iran.
