AFP: Iran has warned the media against the publication of reports concerning the impact of Western sanctions, urging it to cooperate so that “the country is not hurt,” local newspapers reported on Wednesday.
Iran warns media against reporting impact of sanctions
Iran criticizes Saudi crackdown on protesters
Bloomberg: Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned Saudi Arabia’s crackdown on protesters in its oil-rich Eastern Province after Saudi security forces arrested dissident Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in the al-Qatif area, the state-run Fars news agency reported.
Iranians in Turkey collecting gold for Central Bank
Bloomberg: Wealthy Iranians in Turkey are collecting gold on behalf of the Iranian central bank and exporting it to Iran, Turkey’s Zaman newspaper reported.
Annan to brief Security Council on Syria after talks in Iran, Iraq
CNN: International Kofi Annan will brief the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday after a flurry of diplomatic efforts to end 16 months of carnage in Syria.
UN envoy presses Syrian peace plan with Iran, Iraq
AP: The U.N.’s special envoy on the Syrian crisis sought to build support for his peace efforts Tuesday with the leaders of Iran and Iraq, saying President Bashar Assad has agreed to a plan to quell the bloodshed in the most violent areas of Syria and then expand the operation to the whole country.
Iran’s ballistic missiles improving, Pentagon finds
Bloomberg: Iran’s military continues to improve the accuracy and killing power of its long- and short-range ballistic missiles, including designing a weapon to target vessels, according to a Pentagon report to Congress.
US rejects idea Iran plays ‘positive’ role in Syria
AFP: The United States insisted Tuesday that it sees no role for Iran in resolving the conflict in Syria, in an implicit rebuff to UN envoy Kofi Annan’s outreach to Tehran.
Iran foreign minister plays down Hormuz blockade
AP: Iran’s foreign minister is playing down his country’s threat to close the vital Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for Western sanctions over its nuclear program.
Iran: Nuclear meeting set for July 24
New York Times: Deputies of the lead negotiators for Iran and the group of six nations in the Iranian nuclear dispute will meet in Turkey on July 24.
S.Africa probes ex-Iran envoy over MTN bribe claim
AFP: South Africa on Tuesday said Pretoria’s former ambassador to Tehran is being investigated over bribery allegations linked to mobile giant MTN’s award of an operating licence in Iran.
