New York Times: As Mr. Kerry prepared to leave Iraq afterward, he warned that the Iranian flights were sustaining the government of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and were undermining Iraq’s standing with American lawmakers.
In ‘spirited’ talks, Kerry tells Iraq to help stop arms shipments to Syria
The strategic cost of Obama’s election-driven withdrawal
Wall Street Journal: On Sunday Secretary of State John Kerry was reduced to pleading with Iraqi officials to search Iranian flights that fly over Iraq on their way to arming Bashar Assad’s Syrian government.
Kerry warns Iraq on Iran flights to Syria
AP: Just days after the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry confronted Baghdad for continuing to grant Iran access to its airspace and said Iraq’s behavior was raising questions about its reliability as a partner.
India plans reinsurance fund to cover refiners using Iranian oil
Reuters: India plans to set up a fund to back local insurers providing cover for refiners processing Iranian oil after companies warned they would be forced to halt imports from the sanctions-hit nation, the federal oil secretary said on Sunday.
Deutsche Bank braced for £256 million Iran sanctions charges – report
Reuters: Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE) is bracing for more than 300 million euros (256 million pounds) in charges linked to suspected violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran, a German weekly reported on Sunday.
Bolton: Iran planning ‘whole arsenal’ of nukes
WND: President Obama went to great lengths to convince Americans and Israelis that we stand should-to-shoulder with Israel but the private talks were just another round of demands for Israeli concessions, according to former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.
Iran says not linked to group arrested in Saudi Arabia for spying
Reuters: Iran’s foreign ministry said the country was not linked to a group of alleged spies arrested in Saudi Arabia, Iranian media reported on Sunday.
Kerry arrives in Iraq on unannounced visit
AP: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Iraq on an unannounced visit to urge Iraqi leaders to stop Iranian overflights of arms and fighters heading to Syria and to overcome sectarian differences that still threaten Iraqi stability 10 years after the American-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Iran lifts 17-year-old ban on Irish beef imports
Irish Times: ran is to resume imports of Irish beef, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney has announced. The agreement reached with Iranian veterinary authorities follows a 17-year ban on the importation of Irish beef into the country.
Obama gave Netanyahu the green light on Iran
Fox News: Most analysts think President Obama went to Israel in a public relations effort to smooth relations between the two countries. He wasn’t aiming for any breakthroughs in the peace process, and tried to dampen expectations in advance.
