Bloomberg: The best way to understand Iran’s elections this week is to think of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the regime’s supreme investment manager.
Ayatollah Khamenei is Iran’s supreme investor
Iran’s crude exports rise as China port blockages ease, IEA says
Bloomberg: Iran exported 66 percent more crude oil in May than in April, helped by an increase in purchases by China after congestion eased at the Asian nation’s ports, the International Energy Agency said.
France says Syrian army must be stopped before Aleppo
AFP: France on Wednesday urged the international community to stop the progression of Syrian troops, backed by Hezbollah fighters and Iran, towards the strategic northern town of Aleppo.
Iran: New briefing reveals crackdown on dissent ahead of election
Amnesty International: Iran’s authorities have intensified the clampdown on dissidents ahead of the country’s presidential election on 14 June, Amnesty International said in a new briefing published today.
Iran gets ‘verbal invitation’ to Syria conference: report
Reuters: An Iranian deputy foreign ministry said his country had been invited to a planned international peace conference in Geneva aimed at ending the war in Syria, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday.
Preview: Iran election offers choice, but little change
Reuters: Friday’s presidential election in Iran is unlikely to bring significant change to the Islamic republic, whose supreme leader has ensured hardline candidates dominate the field. But the sole moderate could yet upset the race.
Khamenei’s diplomatic adviser Velayati eyes Iran’s presidency
Reuters: With the ear of Iran’s supreme leader as the “real foreign minister” behind the scenes, Ali Akbar Velayati has long tended to the Islamic Republic’s prickly relations with the West and now hopes to put his diplomacy to use as president.
Iran’s sanction woes continue: shut out of Costco
Wall Street Journal: Economic sanctions have been working to strangle the Iranian economy, and now, the country’s diplomats and overseas businesses are being cut off from Costco.
Iran threats against Israel ‘unacceptable’: Putin
AFP: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Iran had a right to a peaceful nuclear programme but slammed as “unacceptable” its threats against its regional nemesis Israel.
Iran’s Rafsanjani backs Rowhani for president
AFP: Iranian ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani backed Hassan Rowhani for Friday’s presidential election, saying the former nuclear negotiator who champions better international ties is “more suitable” for the post.
