AP: At one gathering in Azerbaijan, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reminded the president of Kazakhstan about the vision of a railway linking the heart of Central Asia with Iran’s warm ports. At another meeting in Kuwait, he held talks with Tajikistan’s leader about their growing trade ties.
Iran looks to Silk Road ties in time of sanctions
In oil-rich Iran, natural gas turns wheels
New York Times: According to the latest figures from the Natural Gas Vehicle Knowledge Base, Iran, with the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves after Russia, in 2011 became the world leader in natural gas vehicles with some 2.9 million on the road.
Countdown to the red line in Iran
Wall Street Journal: Iran’s oil exports have been halved by economic sanctions, but that still leaves the regime with around $50 billion in oil income this year, according to calculations by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Nevertheless, the Iranian economy has taken a substantial hit from sanctions.
A new president and a new Iran
EurActiv: What is missing from the US presidential discussions is a strategy that acknowledges the Iranian people’s desire for democratic change, whilst at the same time recognising the role that the Iranian resistance will play in the future of the country, says Brian Binley.
Iran’s warning to oil market fails to send prices higher
New York Times: Iran threatened on Tuesday to halt all its oil exports if the West’s antinuclear sanctions on the country are strengthened, apparently in the hope that such a warning would spook the international petroleum market by raising prices and reminding the world of Iran’s potential to wreak havoc with the global economy.
German lawmakers hope to push Iran on human rights
AP: Three German lawmakers are planning to travel to Iran later this week to discuss with officials the “striking human rights abuses” in the country, one of the parliamentarians said Tuesday.
EU’s Ashton ‘appalled’ by Iran executions
AFP: European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said on Tuesday she was “appalled” by the execution of 10 Iranians convicted of drug trafficking offences.
Major powers examine long-shot options in Iran talks
Reuters: Big powers may ask Iran for stricter limits on its nuclear work if it wants an easing of harsh sanctions – a long-shot approach aimed at yielding a negotiated solution that has eluded them for more than a decade.
Obama savages Romney foreign policy in final debate
AFP: Barack Obama pummeled Mitt Romney as “all over the map” on foreign policy, dismissing his “wrong and reckless” positions in the heated final debate of a knife-edge White House race.
Analysis: Calm Romney pins hopes on momentum
AP: On Iran, Romney mollified his previous criticism of Obama’s sanctions policy. He stressed that resorting to war to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon would be a last option, softening the hawkish tone that had been a hallmark of his campaign.
