Wall Street Journal: Though economic sanctions still haven’t slowed or stopped Iran’s nuclear drive, the Obama Administration has decided to make them even weaker. The Iran sanctions regime is looking like the U.S. tax code—filled with loopholes.
Obama’s Iran Loopholes
Iran says EU oil embargo “strongest” sanctions yet
AP: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday the latest EU sanctions on the sale of Iranian oil are “the strongest” measures yet imposed on the country.
Iran arrests 2 Azerbaijan nationals as spies
AP: Relations between Iran and Azerbaijan have soured recently. Iran accuses Azerbaijan of harboring anti-Iranian terrorists linked to Israel’s Mossad. Azerbaijan says Iran supports Islamist dissidents. Each country denies the other’s charges.
Iran says it test-fires missiles in war of nerves
Reuters: Iran said on Tuesday it had successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel as a response to threats of attack, the latest move in a war of nerves with the West.
Iran, Hezbollah ‘to defend Syria from attack’
AFP: Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and Iran will fight alongside the Syrian regime if it is attacked by foreign forces, a pro-Damascus Palestinian militant leader said on Tuesday.
Iranian man’s father detained for Web site
UPI: An Iranian student living in the Netherlands says because of his Facebook posts, the Iranian government has detained his father.
Iran, US flex muscles in case of conflict
AFP: Iran and the United States on Tuesday underlined their military readiness for conflict should faltering diplomacy over Tehran’s atomic activities fail, as tensions rose over tougher Western sanctions.
Oil rises above $84 amid tighter Iran sanctions
AP: Oil rose above $84 a barrel Tuesday in Asia as tighter sanctions against Iran threaten to restrict crude supplies while demand holds up despite Europe’s debt crisis.
Iran test-fires ballistic missile able to hit Israel: media
AFP: Iran on Tuesday test-fired in its central desert a ballistic missile capable of striking Israel as part of war games designed to show its ability to retaliate if attacked, media said.
New U.S. warships in Gulf to deter Iran
UPI: Washington moved Navy ships into the Persian Gulf, administration officials said, as Iran announced new legislation to disrupt traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.
