Reuters: Nerves were strained as an Iranian patrol boat approached the USS Abraham Lincoln at speed.
US Navy fears small Iranian boats, confident of own capabilities
Ashton ‘cautious, optimistic’ about prospect for Iran talks
AFP: EU Foreign Policy chief Cathy Ashton said Friday she is “cautious and optimistic” about the prospect for Iran to return to nuclear talks with world powers, following a letter she received from Tehran.
Ban to Iran: Prove peaceful nuclear plans
UPI: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on Iran Friday to prove to the international community its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
Bank telecommunications group moves closer to expulsion of Iran
New York Times: A potentially crippling sanction against Iran moved a step closer on Friday when a telecommunications network vital to the global banking industry said it was prepared to expel Iranian banks.
Iran, Hezbollah ‘plotting new anti-Israeli attacks’
AFP: Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia are planning to carry out new anti-Israeli attacks around the world, a senior Israeli official involved in counter-terrorism warned on Friday.
Thai cops: Iranian suspects dined with prostitutes
AP: The three Iranian men detained for allegedly plotting bomb attacks in Bangkok on Israeli diplomats had more than terror on their minds in Thailand. Police said Friday they had also cavorted with prostitutes at a beach resort.
Mission impossible? U.S. wants sanctions to hurt only Iran
Reuters: U.S. President Barack Obama hopes the toughest sanctions ever imposed on Iran will squeeze its oil exports – all without scaring markets, crimping growth, impoverishing ordinary Iranians or antagonizing allies.
Iran president complains of outside interference in region
Reuters: Iranian President Mahmound Ahmadinejad said on Friday foreign powers were interfering in regional affairs.
US presses EU to close SWIFT network to Iran
AFP: The United States is urging the European Union to block Iranian banks’ access to SWIFT, the global interbank transfer network, to step up pressure on Tehran, a US official said Thursday.
2 enter guilty pleas in computer exports to Iran
AP: Two businessmen have pleaded guilty in the illegal export of computer equipment to Iran.
