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.
U.S., Israel agree on Iran while differing on timing, Hagel says
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.”
US fears promise of Arab Spring may be lost
AFP: Global hopes that democracy could replace dictatorships in Arab Spring nations risk being crushed by repressive regimes, the United States warned Friday in its annual human rights report.
Nuclear-armed states ‘concerned’ by N.Korea, Iran
AFP: Representatives of the world’s five big nuclear-armed states on Friday voiced concern over North Korea and Iran’s nuclear programmes, lamenting the threat to global efforts to avoid proliferation.
Iran’s supreme leader launches special website with election tips
Daily Telegraph: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has put himself at the heart of the nation’s forthcoming presidential election by urging candidates to avoid the potential pitfall of aspiring office-holders the world over – the undeliverable promise.
