AFP: Russia on Wednesday urged Iran to speed up its answers to the UN nuclear watchdog addressing suspicions that Tehran is operating an atomic weapons programme.
Russia urges Iran to speed up nuclear cooperation
EU says Iran stalling on nuclear talks
Reuters: Iran is stalling on fixing a date and location for a new round of talks on its nuclear program, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said on Wednesday, but there is still hope that talks between Tehran and six world powers can begin soon.
Netanyahu turns focus to Iran after narrow election win
Reuters: Hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed victory in Israel’s parliamentary election, shrugging off surprise losses to centre-left challengers and vowing to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Iran currency falls further on concerns over bank
New York Times: Iran’s currency, weakened by Western sanctions and economic mismanagement, has fallen further in value over the past few days in an apparent reaction to a leadership problem at the Central Bank that has stirred new concerns about political tensions.
Iran’s president scoffs at Western sanctions
AP: Iran’s president claims his country can make much more money from inventions than from oil, rendering Western economic sanctions powerless.
Iran may use U.N. nuclear talks to seek leverage with big powers
Reuters: Iran may be holding back from working with a U.N. investigation into its nuclear program to use it as a bargaining chip in pursuit of significant sanctions relief or other concessions in broader negotiations with world powers.
UN rights office slams Iran for juvenile execution
AP: A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said the Geneva-based agency was “deeply dismayed” about the hanging of 21-year-old Ali Naderi last week. Naderi was 17 when he was allegedly involved in the murder of a woman.
South Korea’s 2012 Iran crude imports down 35.6 pct
Reuters: South Korea’s imports of crude oil from Iran dropped 35.6 percent last year after sanctions targeting that country’s controversial nuclear programme squeezed imports, data from state-run Korea National Oil Corp showed on Tuesday.
Iran court fires Central Bank Head for withdrawals, IRNA says
Bloomberg: An Iranian court has “dismissed” Central Bank governor Mahmoud Bahmani, citing illegal withdrawals from the banking system, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Syria builds paramilitary force aided by Iran: NGO
AFP: President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has put together a new paramilitary force of men and women, some trained by key ally Iran, to fight what is now becoming a guerrilla war, a watchdog said Monday.
