Reuters: Iraq’s president named a new prime minister to end Nuri al-Maliki’s eight-year rule on Monday, but the veteran leader refused to go after deploying militias and special forces on the streets, creating a dangerous political showdown in Baghdad. Washington, which helped install Maliki following its 2003 invasion, congratulated Haidar al-Abadi.
Power struggle on Baghdad streets as Maliki replaced but refuses to go
Iraqi president names Haider al-Abadi new prime minister, defying Maliki
Washington Post: Iraq’s president on Monday asked a veteran Shiite politician, Haider al-Abadi, to form a new government, setting the stage for a vicious political showdown in a country already struggling to contain an Islamist extremist insurgency. Nouri al-Maliki argued that the appointment of the 62-year-old Abadi as prime minister-designate was legally invalid.
Iranian plane crashes after takeoff, killing 39
AP: A regional passenger plane assembled in Iran crashed Sunday while taking off from the capital, killing 39 and injuring another nine onboard, according to a senior transportation official and state media. The IrAn-140 operated by domestic carrier Sepahan Air crashed in a residential area near Tehran’s Mehrabad airport. State TV said the plane’s tail struck the cables of an electricity tower before it hit the ground and burst into flames.
Deadly Iran-backed terror network Tawhid-Salam exposed
Zaman: A politically motivated witch hunt against police investigators who uncovered a highly secretive Iran-backed terrorist network that has ties to senior government officials has reversed direction and hit the government by revealing to the public damaging details from the prosecutors’ confidential investigation files.
U.S. airstrikes target Islamic State militants in northern Iraq
Washington Post: U.S. military aircraft carried out airstrikes on Islamist militants besieging Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, the Pentagon announced Friday. The airstrikes targeted artillery being used by militants of the Islamic State extremist group against Kurdish forces defending Irbil, the Kurdish regional capital, the Pentagon said. It said the artillery was used “near U.S. personnel.”
Obama authorizes possible airstrikes against Iraq
Washington Post: President Obama has authorized airstrikes against Sunni Muslim extremists who punctured Kurdish defenses in a powerful offensive in northern Iraq on Thursday, and has sent U.S. military aircraft to drop food and water to besieged Iraqi civilians in the region. “We intend to take action if they threaten our facilities anywhere in Iraq . . . including Irbil and Baghdad,” he said.
Iran still pushing for nuclear arms
The Hill: Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei recently said in a high-profile speech that Iran has a “definite need” for tens of thousands of more uranium enrichment centrifuges than it already has. The statement was made ahead of a July 20 deadline for a deal between Iran and the 5+1 countries. Detecting indecisiveness among western powers, Khamenei was clearly raising the stakes to gain as many concessions as possible.
Iran policeman gets 3 years over death of blogger
AP: ISNA quoted Giti Pourfazel, a lawyer hired by Beheshti’s mother, as saying the sentence was too light considering the nature of the crime. “While journalists are sentenced to six years in this country, it’s surprising that a murderer is sentenced to three years in jail,” the lawyer was quoted by ISNA as saying. Dozens of bloggers and journalists have been arrested in Iran in recent years.
U.S. official warns against Russian companies engaging in Iran
Bloomberg: David Cohen, the Obama administration’s top official for terrorism and financial intelligence, warned that any Russian companies engaging in deals with Iran would be subject to U.S. penalties. Russia and Iran signed a five-year memorandum of understanding to expand trade cooperation, the Russian Energy Ministry said on Aug. 5. Russia will help organize Iranian oil sales under the agreement.
To stop Iran gaining nukes, stop rewarding it for lying
Newsweek: In a perfect world, a repeated pattern of deceit and moral failure has consequences. Indeed, when trust and credibility are eroded, we dump the shady contractor, we vote out the lying politician, we fire the skimming employee. So how is it we are still at the negotiating table with Iran? Since the 1990s, Iran has hoodwinked the international community over its nuclear program time and time again.
