AP: A Iranian parliamentary committee has approved a bill requiring the government to design nuclear-powered merchant ships and provide them with nuclear fuel, an Iranian news agency reported Sunday.
Iran parliamentarians call for nuclear ships
Iran top leader one to decide on Strait of Hormuz
AP: The chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff says the decision over whether Tehran would block the strategic Strait of Hormuz rests in the hands of the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
South Korea’s imports of Iranian crude drop amid sanctions
Bloomberg: South Korea’s crude imports from Iran fell 24 percent in June from a year earlier amid Western pressure to cut shipments from the Persian Gulf nation.
Analysis: U.S. criminal inquiry puts much at risk for ZTE
Reuters: ZTE Corp, the world’s fifth-biggest telecommunications equipment maker, could face steep fines and restrictions on its U.S. operations if it is found to have illegally sold U.S. computer products to Iran.
Iran auto production plunges by a third
AFP: Iran’s auto production fell by more than 36 percent over the past three months, the industry ministry was quoted by ISNA news agency as saying on Saturday, citing “lack of money.”
US charges Iranian, Chinese on Iran enrichment
AFP: The United States on Friday announced charges against an Iranian citizen and Chinese resident for allegedly trying to export nuclear-related material to help Tehran enrich uranium.
Iran issues new oil blockade warning
Reuters: Iran could prevent even “a single drop of oil” passing through the Strait of Hormuz if its security is threatened, a naval chief said on Saturday, as tensions simmer over Tehran’s nuclear program.
U.S.: Iran uses front companies to evade sanctions
UPI: The U.S. Treasury Department has identified several front companies it says are helping Tehran evade U.S. and European sanctions aimed at throttling Iran’s oil exports.
U.S. State Department must show some spine on Iranian dissidents
UPI: The fate of 3,400 Iranian dissidents in Iraq must not be a bargaining chip to appease the Iranian regime and their Iraqi agents.
Japan set to load first Iran crude with sovereign insurance
Bloomberg: Japan will load its first Iranian crude cargo backed by sovereign guarantees since sanctions disrupted coverage in the international reinsurance market.
