AFP: IAEA deputy director Rafael Grossi, one of the top officials in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear drive, has announced his resignation, the UN nuclear watchdog said Sunday.
IAEA top official in Iran talks stands down
Oil buyers owe $4bn to Iran: top official
AFP: Iran is owed $4 billion for oil sales to customers who have been unable to pay because of sanctions imposed on the Islamic republic over its nuclear programme, a top Iranian oil official said on Sunday.
Iranian pilots killed in F-5 Phantom fighter crash near Iraq border
AP: A news agency reports an Iranian F-5 fighter jet has crashed near the Iraqi border, killing two pilots. The fighter crashed in highlands after it took off from a military air base in Dezful, 460 kilometers (280 miles) southwest of the capital, Tehran.
U.S., Israel agree on Iran while differing on timing, Hagel says
Bloomberg: U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Israel and the U.S. agree Iran must be stopped from attaining the ability to build a nuclear bomb while differing on how long it will take Tehran to reach that point.
US-Israel arms deal sends ‘clear signal’ to Iran: Hagel
AFP: A major US arms deal with Israel sends a “very clear signal” to Tehran that military action remains an option to stop it from going nuclear, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters on Sunday.
Iran dismisses concerns of nuclear-armed states
AFP: Iran on Saturday dismissed concerns raised by five nuclear-armed states over Tehran’s controversial atomic programme, saying the Islamic republic is committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iran sets military training exercises
UPI: The Iranian army plans to hold training exercises in Esfahan province, Brig. Gen. Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said Saturday.
Iran seeks to export oil to North Korea
AP: Iran’s oil ministry says the country is considering exporting oil to North Korea as a way to improve its battered economy. The official IRNA news agency quoted on Saturday Oil Minister Rostam Ghasemi as saying talks are underway between Tehran and Pyongyang on oil exports.
Iran sees no need for OPEC emergency meeting
AFP: Iran sees no need for an emergency meeting of the oil cartel OPEC over a recent drop in crude prices before the producers’ annual session at the end of May, Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi said on Saturday.
Annual human rights report criticizes civil rights crackdown from Iran to Russia to Venezuela
AP: The Obama administration warned Friday that nations such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela are turning up pressure on human rights and other activists, decrying what it described as a global crackdown on the “lifeblood of democratic societies.”
