USA Today: This small, oil-rich country across the Persian Gulf from Iran will soon be bristling with more high-tech weapons to counter its neighbor.
Oil-rich Emirates a key part of defense against Iran
U.K.’s Hague questioned by lawmaker to clarify policy on Iran
Bloomberg: U.K. lawmaker Richard Ottaway who chairs Parliament’s cross-party Foreign Affairs Committee wrote to Foreign Secretary William Hague asking him to clarify whether he agrees with U.S. policy to “do whatever is necessary” to prevent Iran from accessing nuclear weapons.
Iran told Hezbollah to join Syrian war, says ex-leader
Bloomberg: Iran pressed Hezbollah fighters to join the civil war in Syria to bolster President Bashar al- Assad’s armed struggle, according to Sobhi al-Tofaili, a disaffected former leader of the militant group.
Illegal fishing crackdown in Somalia, 78 Iranians detained
Reuters: Maritime police in Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland seized five Iranian ships and detained 78 Iranians in a rare crackdown on illegal fishing in Somalia.
Why Iran is trying to save the Syrian regime
U.S. News & World Report: Iran is the Syrian regime’s biggest supporter, even more so than Russia. Tehran’s ties with Damascus have historically been based on shared strategic interests, including thwarting U.S. and Israeli power in the Middle East.
Samsung to block access to app store in Iran
AP: Iranian users of Samsung mobile applications said Thursday that the company had notified them that they will no longer have access to the company’s online store as of May 22.
Economy early platform for Iranian candidates
UPI: Fixing the Iranian economy is moving to the top of the political agenda as presidential hopefuls develop campaign platforms, candidates said.
Hezbollah under pressure over Syria fighting
AFP: Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah movement came under increasing pressure over accusations it is backing regime troops in Syria, as a rebel leader warned of the risk of sparking a sectarian war.
Switzerland’s government denies natural gas agreement with Iran
Bloomberg: Iran’s state-owned Press TV website said on April 19th that the country finalized an export deal, citing Javad Owji, deputy oil minister and head of the National Iranian Gas Co. The reports are “nonsense,” Conradin Rasi, a spokesman for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, said today by telephone.
Syria expects more financial aid from Russia, Iran
Reuters: Syria hopes to clinch more financial aid from its allies Russia and Iran soon, but still has enough foreign reserves to pursue its war on rebels trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad, the central bank governor said.
