AFP: Russia’s representative in international talks with Iran over its disputed nuclear programme, Sergei Ryabkov, met Tehran’s top negotiator on a surprise visit on Wednesday, news agencies reported.
Russia nuclear envoy makes snap visit to Iran
Iran to open Somali embassy, Turkey rebuilds parliament
Reuters: Iran said it would set up an embassy in Mogadishu and Turkey promised to rebuild Somalia’s parliament building, as the two neighbors, at odds over Syria, vied for influence in the Horn of Africa country.
Iranian human rights lawyer in fourth week of hunger strike
Toronto Star: Nasrin Sotoudeh’s awards would cover a wall. But 49-year-old Iranian human rights defender has no walls on which to hang them. She is entering the fourth week of a hunger strike that her family fears she will not survive.
Iran helicopter crash kills 10
Daily Telegraph: Ten people were killed on Wednesday when a rescue helicopter ferrying wounded people from a vehicle accident to hospital hit power lines and crashed to the ground in northeastern Iran, media reported.
Iran aims for baby boom, but are Iranians in the mood?
Reuters: In addition to worries about money and employment they share with millions of young people around the world in an economic downturn, Iranians must contend with high inflation, a plummeting currency and the possibility of war if Israel follows through on threats to strike Iran’s nuclear sites.
Obama vows new push to solve Iran nuclear crisis
AFP: President Barack Obama promised to launch a new diplomatic push to solve the longstanding crisis over Iran’s disputed nuclear program, saying there was still a “window of time” to end the standoff.
U.N.’s nuclear report on Iran
Reuters: Iran is believed to have increased the number of centrifuges in an underground nuclear plant by nearly a third in three months, diplomats say, underlining the tough task facing major powers pressing Tehran to curb its atomic activity.
EU denounces Iran’s jamming of satellite TV broadcasts
AFP: The European Union on Wednesday denounced Iran’s “deliberate jamming” of television and radio satellite broadcasts that deprive its citizens of access to free information, and called on Tehran to abide by global telecommunications laws.
Iran locked in internal debate over whether to talk to U.S.
Washington Post: Iran appears to be locked in a fierce internal debate over whether to hold bilateral nuclear talks with the United States, with key political leaders calling for dialogue with Washington and hard-liners pressing ahead with expansion of the country’s nuclear facilities.
Clinton calls for pressure on Syria in announcing refugee aid
Bloomberg: The U.S. is also seeking to pressure Iran through economic sanctions as Israel threatens to attack the Persian nation’s nuclear facilities. “We agreed on the importance of holding the international community together to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” Clinton said.
