Bloomberg: Iran hopes the average price of OPEC crudes will increase “in next days,” Oil Minister Rostam Qasemi told the state-run Fars news agency Nov. 19. He said global demand will increase as winter approaches in the northern hemisphere.
OPEC comments signal unchanged quotas at Vienna meeting
US ‘steps up spying’ on Iran nuclear reactor
AFP: US intelligence agencies have significantly stepped up spying operations on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear reactor prompted by concerns about the security of weapons-grade plutonium there, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Iran MPs to look into case of hunger-striking lawyer – report
Reuters: Iranian legislators are to visit Tehran’s Evin prison and look into the case of an imprisoned lawyer on hunger strike there amid concerns over her deteriorating condition, Iranian media reported on Sunday.
Snake tale: How venom binds U.S., Iran
Wall Street Journal: In a surprising—and irony-rich—byproduct of the Afghan war, the Pentagon finds itself dependent on a scientific research arm of the Iranian government to treat bites by Oxus cobras, Haly’s pit vipers and other snakes peculiar to the battlefields of southwest Asia.
Report: Iran’s president opposes election changes
AP: A news agency reports Iran’s president is urging parliament to abandon possible revisions in laws governing presidential elections. The call appears part of widening political battles before June’s election to pick Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s successor.
Iran says plans to raise crude oil production
AP: Iran’s oil minister has said the country plans to increase its oil production capacity to up to 5.2 million barrels per day by early 2016.
Iran says nuclear fuel removed because of debris
AP: Iran’s nuclear chief says fuel was removed from the country’s sole nuclear reactor in October because debris had been left behind during its construction.
Sri Lanka to buy Iraqi oil after US sanctions on Iran
AFP: Sri Lanka will purchase oil from Iraq after the United States imposed new sanctions on Iran, the island’s main supplier of crude oil, a report said on Sunday citing a senior official.
Flow of arms to Syria through Iraq persists, to U.S. dismay
New York Times: The American effort to stem the flow of Iranian arms to Syria has faltered because of Iraq’s reluctance to inspect aircraft carrying the weapons through its airspace, American officials say.
Iran suspends computer programmer’s death sentence: report
Reuters: Iran has suspended the death sentence for a computer programmer convicted on charges of running a pornographic website after he “repented for his actions,” his lawyer was quoted as saying on Sunday.
