European Voice: Government denies group of MEPs access to Camp Ashraf, where security forces killed Iranian opposition supporters.
Iraq blocks MEPs’ visit
Iranian dissidents and a U.S. dilemma
Reuters: Call it the coalition of the baffled — a diverse group of prominent public figures who challenge the U.S. government’s logic of keeping on its terrorist blacklist an Iranian exile organization that publicly renounced violence a decade ago and has fed details on Iran’s nuclear programme to American intelligence.
Iran’s foreign debt stood at $22 billion in December, Mehr says
Bloomberg: Iran’s foreign debt stood at $22 billion by the end of December, the state-run Mehr news agency reported, citing central bank figures.
China invests $570 million in Iran over two years, IRNA reports
Bloomberg: China invested a total of $570 million in Iran over the past two years ended December 2010, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing figures from China’s Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
INTERVIEW-Drop terror listing of Iran foes -ex-Obama aide
Reuters: The United States should remove the main exiled Iranian opposition group from its blacklist of outlawed terrorist organisations, President Barack Obama’s former national security adviser said on Wednesday.
India exploring Iran oil payment via Turkey -oil min source
Reuters: India is exploring payments via Turkey for oil imports from Iran, an Indian oil ministry source said on Wednesday, as the two countries search for a way to settle their trade after a long standing clearing system was scrapped by New Delhi.
Iran steps up rate of public executions: Amnesty
Reuters: Iran has sharply stepped up its use of public executions, hanging 13 men this year, nearly as many as in all of 2010, in an attempt to intimidate its citizens, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
US says Iran is supporting Syria crackdown
AP: The United States has evidence of active Iranian support for the Syrian government’s “abhorent and deplorable” crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said late Tuesday.
U.S. prods Turkey to enforce Iran sanctions
Reuters: The United States is concerned by Turkey’s growing trade ties with Iran and has warned Turkish banks against dealing with blacklisted Iranian counterparts, a senior U.S. Treasury official said Wednesday.
Bahrain expels Iran embassy official over ‘spy links’
AFP: Bahrain has declared the second secretary in the Iranian embassy here persona non grata and ordered him to leave within 72 hours due to his alleged links with a Kuwait spy ring, state media said.
