U.S. will seek triggers to reimpose sanctions on Iran: Rice

Reuters: The United States and its allies will have ways to reimpose sanctions on Iran if the Islamic Republic is caught making bombs after striking a deal to freeze its nuclear program, national security adviser Susan Rice said on Sunday.

Schumer: Time to ratchet up sanctions on Iran

The Hill: Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) who’s leading a bipartisan effort to hit Iran with stricter sanctions, stood his ground, despite President Obama’s recent plea not to interfere in negotiations aimed at stopping Tehran’s nuclear program.

At year’s end: Will Iran prove the world wrong?

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UPI: 2013 saw six world powers negotiate a comprehensive deal with Iran to halt its nuclear program.  Some hailed the deal a historic achievement, others, a historic mistake.

Turkey’s Halkbank says Iran business complies with law

Reuters: Halkbank, the state-run Turkish lender whose chief executive was arrested in a wide-ranging corruption probe at the weekend, said on Monday it had not faced questioning by the police or judiciary as a corporate entity.

Iran nuclear talks suspended for Christmas

AFP: Iran’s foreign minister and the EU’s top diplomat agreed during telephone call Sunday to postpone until after Christmas talks on implementing a landmark nuclear agreement, the country’s chief negotiator said.

Big Oil sits out lobbying on Iran as Congress stands firm

Reuters: As debate rises in Washington over the first thaw in relations between Iran and the United States in decades, powerful oil companies are opting for an unusual tactic: silence.

US Senate presses Iran on Bahais

AFP: The US Senate has urged Iran to free jailed members of the Bahai faith, raising human rights concerns as President Barack Obama pursues diplomacy to curtail Tehran’s nuclear program.

Iran slams Euro MEPs for meeting dissidents

AFP: Iran has criticised European parliamentarians for meeting leading dissidents during a visit this month to the Islamic republic, media reports said on Sunday.

Members of Italian Parliament call for action on Ashraf hostages

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Sacramento Bee: The majority members of the Italian Parliament have made a bipartisan call to urge the Italian government, the EU, US and UN to do everything in their power to implore the Government of Iraq to release the seven Iranian dissidents taken hostage in Iraq.

Indictment against aide taints Iraqi PM Maliki


UPI: News that the Spanish courts have indicted Faleh al-Fayad, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s top security adviser, for “offenses against international community,” is clear confirmation of Maliki’s role in these crimes against humanity.