AP: U.S. Navy gunners aboard a refueling ship opened fire on a small boat racing toward them in broad daylight Monday near the Gulf city of Dubai, killing one person and injuring three.
US Navy ship fires on boat off Dubai, killing 1
Iran drought part of ‘soft war’ by West: VP
AFP: The drought in southern Iran is part of a “soft war” launched against the Islamic republic by the West, the Fars news agency quoted an Iranian vice president as saying on Monday.
Iran renews Hormuz closure threats
Reuters: Iran renewed threats on Sunday to close the Strait of Hormuz unless sanctions against it were revoked, though it remains unclear how Tehran could shut down the vital oil shipping channel given the significant American military presence there.
Iran shuts down coffee shops in morality crackdown
Reuters: Iranian police shut down dozens of restaurants and coffee shops over the weekend, Iranian media reported, in a renewed crackdown on what the state sees as immoral and un-Islamic behavior.
UAE launches pipeline skirting Iran-threatened Hormuz
AFP: The United Arab Emirates on Sunday inaugurated a pipeline to pump oil from east coast terminals, bypassing the strategic Strait of Hormuz which Iran has threatened to shut down, state-run WAM news agency reported.
Iran parliamentarians call for nuclear ships
AP: A Iranian parliamentary committee has approved a bill requiring the government to design nuclear-powered merchant ships and provide them with nuclear fuel, an Iranian news agency reported Sunday.
Iran top leader one to decide on Strait of Hormuz
AP: The chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the decision over whether Tehran would block the strategic Strait of Hormuz rests in the hands of the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
South Korea’s imports of Iranian crude drop amid sanctions
Bloomberg: South Korea’s crude imports from Iran fell 24 percent in June from a year earlier amid Western pressure to cut shipments from the Persian Gulf nation.
Analysis: U.S. criminal inquiry puts much at risk for ZTE
Reuters: ZTE Corp, the world’s fifth-biggest telecommunications equipment maker, could face steep fines and restrictions on its U.S. operations if it is found to have illegally sold U.S. computer products to Iran.
Iran auto production plunges by a third
AFP: Iran’s auto production fell by more than 36 percent over the past three months, the industry ministry was quoted by ISNA news agency as saying on Saturday, citing “lack of money.”
