AFP: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday warned Iran that the window for diplomacy to solve a nuclear showdown was “shrinking,” stiffening his rhetoric ahead of looming new talks on the issue.
Obama warns Iran window of diplomacy ‘shrinking’
Iran slams using oil as ‘political tool’
AFP: Iran condemned on Wednesday what it said was the use of oil as a political tool against producers, referring to Western sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear programme, as Saudi Arabia promised to cover any shortage in supplies.
Iran parliament begins questioning Ahmadinejad
AP: Iran’s parliament began Wednesday to question President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over a long list of accusations, including that he mismanaged the nation’s economy and challenged the country’s supreme leader.
Official: Chinese bank cold on Iran-Pak gas deal
AP: A state-owned Chinese bank that had agreed to finance the Pakistani section of a gas pipeline from Iran that is opposed by the United States is no longer interested in the project, a Pakistani finance ministry spokesman said Wednesday.
U.S. meets Iran on energy panel to debate oil price volatility
Bloomberg: U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman will join Iranian Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi to discuss ways to mitigate crude-price volatility at the International Energy Forum in Kuwait.
One killed, 74 injured during Iran fire festival
AP: Iran’s semiofficial ISNA news agency says the country’s annual fire festival has cost the life of one person and injured 74 others.
Iranian released from US prison to be deported: official
AFP: An Iranian whose release reportedly had been sought by Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is undergoing deportation proceedings after serving a five year prison sentence for arms smuggling, a US official said Tuesday.
EU calls on Iran to release rights lawyer
AFP: The European Union on Tuesday called on Iran to release a prominent human rights lawyer recently sentenced to 18 years in prison, calling the verdict an “unacceptable attack” against the legal profession.
Iran may not open a site to inspectors
New York Times: Iran signaled on Tuesday that it was unwilling to grant a request by international nuclear inspectors for unfettered access to a restricted military complex that they suspect may house a chamber designed to test explosives used in atomic weapons triggers.
Obama, Cameron united on Afghanistan, Iran
AFP: David Cameron and US President Barack Obama offered a united front Tuesday on many global issues, including in Afghanistan, ahead of talks between the two leaders.
