AP: Iran appears intent on strengthening its role as Assad’s big brother with outreach that included a visit to Damascus on Tuesday by one of the ruling clerics’ top envoys, who tried to frame the conflict as part of Iran’s wider showdown with the West.
Syria captive rift: Iran defiant, Hezbollah silent
US raps Iran on Syria after Tehran conference
AFP: The United States on Thursday dismissed a 29 nation conference on the Syria crisis in Tehran, saying the Islamic Republic had been helping Bashar al-Assad kill his people.
Iran’s navy says has no plan for naval reactors
AP: An Iranian semiofficial news agency is quoting the country’s acting navy commander as saying that Tehran has no immediate plans to build nuclear naval reactors.
Tehran’s covetous plot for its dissidents at Camp Ashraf
UPI: If Iraqi troops enter Ashraf as they did in 2011 and 2009, many innocent civilians are sure to die. In the two previous raids, Iraqi armored cars crushed unarmed civilians. Others were shot, 50 died, hundreds were injured.
Iran to pay $816 million to support local carmakers
Bloomberg: Iran’s ministry of industries, mines and commerce will pay 10 trillion rials ($816 million) to Iranian carmakers as they are going through “financial problems,” Tehran Times reported.
Syria barrages Aleppo; Iran hosts talks
UPI: A new Syrian barrage to retake rebel-controlled Aleppo neighborhoods raged Thursday with rebels still commanding attacked areas, Western news reports indicated.
S. Korea firms in talks to resume Iran oil imports
AFP: South Korean oil refiners are in talks with Iran to resume oil imports, officials said Thursday, potentially by using Iranian tankers as a way to circumvent European Union sanctions.
US confirms StanChart probe, defends Iran sanctions
AFP: The US Treasury on Wednesday confirmed a probe into Standard Chartered and defended its Iran sanctions regime following the New York regulator’s damaging accusations against the British bank.
What does Iran get for supporting al-Assad?
CNN: In public at least, the message was defiant. Beleaguered Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sitting alongside Iran’s intelligence chief, proclaimed Tuesday “the determination of the people and government of Syria to cleanse the country of terrorists.”
Turkey issues “frank, friendly” warning to Iran
Reuters: Turkey warned Iran “in a frank and friendly manner” against blaming Ankara for violence in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday, a day after holding talks with his Iranian counterpart.
