AP: The owner of a Pennsylvania company that makes steel-processing equipment has signed a plea agreement with federal prosecutors on a charge he conspired to illegally sell an $800,000 machine to an Iranian firm.
Businessman charged with violating Iran export ban
UN committee takes no action on Iran envoy dispute
AP: A U.N. committee took no action Tuesday on the U.S. refusal to grant a visa to Iran’s chosen ambassador to the United Nations after hearing from both sides. The Committee on Relations with the Host Country could have made a recommendation to the 193-member General Assembly or asked the U.N. legal office for an opinion.
Iran lawmakers seek probe into alleged jail abuse
AP: Several Iranian lawmakers on Tuesday demanded a probe into alleged beatings of political prisoners held at Tehran’s Evin prison, the official IRNA news agency reported. Families of the inmates met with the lawmakers Sunday, seeking clarification on what happened to their kin.
Bahrain sentences 12 people for life for spying, Iran links
Reuters: A Bahraini court has sentenced 12 men to life in prison for spying, receiving training from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and processing weapons and explosives, a defense lawyer and rights activist said on Tuesday.
Iran president under fire over wife’s ‘lavish’ party
Reuters: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, already under pressure from conservatives for his tentative opening to the West, was criticized on Tuesday for what his opponents called a “lavish ball” thrown by the first lady.
Cuba sides with Iran at private meeting over UN ambassador dispute, sources say
Fox News: Cuba piped up as one of the few countries to side with Iran at a meeting Tuesday of a United Nations committee where Iran formally protested – and the United States defended – the decision by the Obama administration to bar Iran’s U.N. ambassador pick from U.S. soil.
Iran admits nuclear agency reshuffle to pave way for 5+1 talks
Reuters: President Hassan Rouhani’s government confirmed rumors on Monday it had reshuffled the leadership of Iran’s atomic agency to sideline nuclear experts opposed to talks on its atomic program with the West.
Syria elections set for June 3 amid civil war
AP: Syria called a presidential election for June 3, aiming to give President Bashar Assad a veneer of electoral legitimacy in the midst of a civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people and driven a third of the population from their homes.
Oman fights Saudi bid for gulf hegemony with Iran pipeline plan
Bloomberg: Oman’s plan to build a $1 billion natural-gas pipeline from Iran is the latest sign that Saudi Arabia is failing to bind its smaller Gulf neighbors into a tighter bloc united in hostility to the Islamic Republic.
Iran claims expertise in deepwater exploration
UPI: Iran is the only member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries that has expertise in deepwater oil and gas exploration, Ali Osouli, director of the Khazar Exploration and Production Co. in Iran, said.
