AFP: The US Senate unanimously approved new economic sanctions Friday aimed at further crippling Iran’s energy, shipping and port sectors, a year after Congress passed tough restrictions against Tehran.
US Senate approves new sanctions on Iran
Mursi’s actions may turn Egypt into Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini
Daily Telegraph: The Iranian experience during the 1979 revolution is an object lesson in how a popular uprising can deliver outcomes that are far removed from what was originally intended.
Stray bolts blamed for Iran nuclear plant shutdown: Russia source
Reuters: A Russian-built nuclear reactor in Iran was shut down last month to limit any damage after stray bolts were found beneath the fuel cells, a Russian nuclear industry source said on Friday.
Rice holds stakes in firms that have done business in Iran
Washington Post: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan E. Rice and her husband own modest stakes in companies that have until recently done business with Iran, prompting new questions from those opposed to her possible nomination as secretary of state.
Lawmakers unveil new round of Iran sanctions
AP: Senators pressed ahead Thursday on a new set of tough sanctions against Iran’s domestic industries as they seek to cripple the Islamic republic’s economy and thwart its nuclear ambitions.
IAEA chief calls for ‘urgent’ Iran diplomacy
AFP: The head of the UN atomic agency called Thursday for diplomatic “urgency” in the Iranian nuclear standoff, even as Tehran signalled its continued defiance of UN Security Council demands to suspend key activities.
Iran delay of reactor to 2014 gives talks time: Diplomats
Bloomberg: Iran’s decision to delay the startup of a plutonium-producing reactor until 2014 creates time for negotiations and may reduce threats of military strikes to disrupt the Persian Gulf nation’s nuclear work, said four western diplomats familiar with the talks.
UN nuclear chief expresses concern for inspectors
AP: The head of the U.N. nuclear agency suggested Thursday that his inspectors in Iran are coming under increased duress amid fears that Tehran might be aspiring to make atomic arms. He would not say what kind of pressure they face.
U.N. chief appeals for countries to take Iran dissidents
Reuters: U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon appealed on Thursday for countries to consider resettling several thousand Iranian dissidents living in Iraq who were recently moved to a former U.S. military base in Baghdad from a camp where they lived for decades.
U.S. gives Iran until March to cooperate with IAEA
Reuters: The United States set a March deadline on Thursday for Iran to start cooperating in substance with a U.N. nuclear agency investigation, warning Tehran the issue may otherwise be referred to the U.N. Security Council.
