Fox News: At a time when the West would like to think its negotiating partner is adopting a new, softer tone, Iran’s executions have only increased over the past year, according to a report by the Human Rights and Democracy Report.
Iran steps up pace of executions as it courts West
Iran Feb oil shipments highest since sanctions began: IEA
Bloomberg: Iran’s crude shipments in February were the highest since the imposition of Western sanctions that have crippled its oil-dependent economy, according to the International Energy Agency. Imports of Iranian oil were 1.65 million barrels a day in February, the highest level since June 2012, the IEA said.
Iran: UN rights experts appeal for urgent medical care for detained political prisoners
UN News Centre: A group of independent United Nations human rights experts today voiced alarm at the denial of medical care to two political prisoners in Iran who are at risk of dying in detention due to worsening health conditions, and urged the authorities to provide them with treatment.
White House to Iran: No visa for UN envoy pick
AP: In a rare diplomatic rebuke, the United States will not grant a visa to Tehran’s controversial pick for envoy to the United Nations, the Obama administration said Friday. White House spokesman Jay Carney said: “Our position is that we will not be issuing him a visa.”
EP backs Rajavi’s plan for regime change in Iran
GroundReport: A conference at the European Parliament has given its full backing to Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for regime change in Iran. MEPs also demanded an end to executions and human rights abuses in Iran, urgent protection for Camp Liberty and a UN probe into the Camp Ashraf massacre.
U.S. warns Russia over any oil-for-goods deal with Iran
Reuters: U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told his Russian counterpart on Thursday that any oil-for-goods deal Moscow might strike with Iran could run afoul of U.S. sanctions. Lew also told Siluanov a deal would run counter to an agreement between Iran and six world powers.
Iranian diplomat rejected by US implicated in Italian murder
The Telegraph: An Iranian diplomat that America is refusing to accept as Tehran’s next ambassador to the United Nations was implicated in the death of an Iranian dissident in Rome in the 1990s, court documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph reveal.
Iran, six powers face ‘significant gaps’ in nuclear talks
Reuters: Negotiators from Iran and six world powers struggled on Wednesday to narrow “significant gaps” in talks aimed at clearing the way for a long-term accord on curbing Tehran’s nuclear program. The negotiators plan to start drafting the agreement to meet a self-imposed July 20 deadline.
U.S. warns on Iran ‘breakout’ capability as nuclear talks start
Reuters: The United States said on Tuesday Iran has the ability to produce fissile material for a nuclear bomb in two months, if it so decided, as Tehran and six world powers swung into a new round of talks in Vienna on resolving their atomic dispute.
US says Iran’s pick for UN envoy is `not viable’
AP: The United States notified Iran’s government on Tuesday that Tehran’s pick for a new U.N. envoy is “not viable,” a day after the U.S. Senate voted against letting the diplomat enter the country. The Obama administration has stopped short of saying it would refuse him a visa.
