Wall Street Journal – REVIEW & OUTLOOK: To assess U.S. efforts to halt Iran’s imperial ambitions, you can look to the city of Natanz, where the Iranian regime is firing up a new generation of centrifuges, or to Syria, where its client regime is shooting democrats in the streets. Then there’s Tehran International Fairground, which this week is doing a bang-up business.
Tehran’s nuclear bazaar
Kuwait confirms Iran diplomats expelled
AFP: Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah confirmed on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi that Iranian diplomats accused of spying have been expelled amid heightened Gulf tensions.
Cairo says Iran has not appointed an Egypt ambassador
Reuters: Egypt said on Tuesday Iran had not appointed an ambassador to Cairo, denying a news report that the two countries had restored diplomatic relations after over 30 years.
Iran sees further rise in oil prices by end 2011
AFP: Iran, which chairs the oil producers’ cartel OPEC, said on Tuesday it expects global crude prices to further rise by the end of 2011 while the secretary-general urged wealthy G8 countries to cut fuel taxes.
Bahrain: Gulf troops to stay as counter to Iran
AP: Gulf troops will stay in Bahrain until its Sunni rulers are satisfied that threats from Iran have eased, the island kingdom’s foreign minister said Monday amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent.
US cracks down on N. Korean bank, cites Iran ties
AFP: The United States slapped sanctions on a North Korean bank on Tuesday, accusing it of having ties to the arms trade and Iran, the Treasury Department said.
12 Iranian engineers kidnapped in Afghanistan
AP: Armed assailants kidnapped 12 Iranian engineers building a road in western Afghanistan, said Iranian and Afghan officials Monday.
Iran oil minister voices concern about investment
Reuters: Iran’s oil minister voiced concerns on Monday about investment in the energy sector, saying the country’s ability to export crude would be put at risk without it, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
Artifact returns to British Museum after Iran loan
AP: A 2,500-year-old Babylonian artifact sometimes described as the world’s first human rights charter was returning to the British Museum Monday after a seven-month loan to Iran.
Saudi Arabia urges Iran to protect its diplomats
Reuters: A Saudi minister urged Iran on Monday to protect its diplomats in the Islamic republic and threatened unspecified measures if it failed to do so.
