Bloomberg: U.S. Ambassador to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Ivo Daalder said the alliance will keep the Strait of Hormuz open in the face of Iranian threats to close the shipping channel.
Nato will keep strait of Hormuz open, U.S. ambassador says
EU agrees to slap oil embargo on Iran: diplomats
AFP — European Union nations agreed Monday to slap an oil embargo against Iran’s oil exports in a bid to halt funding of the country’s disputed nuclear programme, EU diplomats said.
Iran sanction bill exempts BP project
Wall Street Journal: British and European Union officials have convinced some U.S. lawmakers to ensure that any new sanctions against Iran exempt a BP PLC-led natural-gas project, as Western governments try to isolate Tehran without harming their own energy security.
FACTBOX-EU sanctions against Iran
Reuters: European Union ambassadors agreed on Monday to impose an embargo on crude oil imports from Iran, to be phased in by July 1. |EU foreign ministers are expected to approve the measure later in the day.
U.K., EU lobby to protect gas project from Iran sanctions
Wall Street Journal: As Western governments push ahead with unprecedented sanctions on Iran, U.K. and European Union officials have lobbied U.S. lawmakers in recent weeks to ensure that any new Iran sanctions exempt a key BP PLC-led natural-gas project in Azerbaijan.
Report: 17 die when boat capsizes in Iran
AP: Seventeen people have died after a storm capsized a passenger boat off of Iran’s southern coast, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.
Iran rejects as ‘baseless’ Sarkozy nuclear claims
AFP: Claims by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that Iran is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon are “baseless and far from reality,” Iranian foreign ministry’s spokesman said on Saturday.
China tells Iranian delegation to return to talks
Reuters: China told a visiting Iranian delegation that returning to nuclear talks was a “top priority,” the Xinhua news agency said on Saturday, in a meeting highlighting Beijing’s efforts to reduce tensions that could threaten its oil supply.
China leader warns Iran not to make nuclear arms
New York Times: Prime Minister Wen Jiabao wrapped up a six-day Middle East tour this week with stronger-than-usual criticism of Iran’s defiance on its nuclear program, and with multibillion-dollar oil deals that would seem to signal less reliance on Tehran for China’s growing energy needs.
U.S. lawmakers moving to tighten screws on Iran
Reuters: The U.S. Senate is looking to strengthen the economic chokehold on Iran with even stricter measures to cripple Tehran’s oil revenues and possibly its shipping in legislation that is expected in the coming weeks.
