Bloomberg: Japan will load its first Iranian crude cargo backed by sovereign guarantees since sanctions disrupted coverage in the international reinsurance market.
Japan set to load first Iran crude with sovereign insurance
Insight: Despite sanctions, Apple gear booms in Iran
Reuters: At its gleaming store, RadanMac offers the latest Apple gear – the new iPad, iPhones, iPods, laptops, all-in-one desktop computers and more.
South Korea mulls offer of Iranian oil tankers
AFP: Seoul is considering an offer by Tehran to send crude on Iranian tankers to South Korea, officials said Friday, as a way to circumvent EU sanctions and resume imports of oil from Iran.
UK says it foiled Iran nuke weapon drive
Daily Telegraph: Britain’s foreign intelligence chief believes his agents delayed an attempt by Iran to acquire nuclear weapons but the pariah state will become armed within two years, the Daily Telegraph reports.
U.S. cracks down on Iran’s oil tanker company, exposes fronts
Reuters: The United States ramped up pressure on Iran’s ability to export oil on Thursday, identifying Tehran’s main tanker firm and exposing dozens of its vessels as government-controlled entities.
Iran Former Minister seeks referendum on nuclear program
Bloomberg: A former Iranian interior minister and opposition figure is calling for a national referendum on Iran’s atomic work, saying the government must act wisely to exit a “dead end,” Jaras reported.
U.S. sends more assets to Persian Gulf
UPI: The U.S. Navy is said to have deployed unmanned underwater vehicles to the Persian Gulf to search for mines in nearby oil-shipping lanes.
Canadian bank drops Iranian customers
UPI: A major Canadian bank is telling Iranian-Canadian customers to find another bank due to federal economic sanctions against the regime in Tehran.
Iran’s oil-output costs to quadruple in coming years
Bloomberg: The cost of producing each barrel will rise to $30 or more from $7 currently, the newspaper said, citing citing Gholamreza Manouchehri, an adviser to the head of National Iranian Oil Co.
Iran bank opens $10 billion oil credit line, Tehran Times says
Bloomberg: Iran’s central bank opened a $10 billion line of credit for several upstream domestic oil projects, the Tehran Times reported, citing Mohsen Khojasteh- Mehr, who’s in charge of planning and supervision at the Oil Ministry.
