Reuters: The United States believes increasingly warm ties between Venezuela, Iran and Cuba do not benefit the Venezuelan people, U.S. President Barack Obama said in an interview with a Venezuelan newspaper published on Monday.
Obama: Iran and Cuba ties don’t benefit Venezuela
Japan, US unite on N.Korea, differ on Iran
AFP: The United States and Japan put on a united front Monday after North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il’s death but the allies showed differences elsewhere with the Asian power refusing to stop oil imports from Iran.
Iraq signs $72 mln power deal with Iran’s Sunir
Reuters: Iraq signed a $72 million electricity deal with Iranian power development firm Sunir to expand a plant in northern Iraq by 320 megawatts to help feed the power-starved nation, an electricity ministry official said on Monday.
UN denounces human rights violations in Iran
AP: The U.N. General Assembly has approved a resolution denouncing serious human rights violations in Iran ranging from flogging and amputations to frequent use of the death penalty.
China halves Jan Iran oil imports in payment dispute
Reuters: China’s top refiner Sinopec Corp will in January buy less than half the crude it typically imports from Iran, trade sources said on Monday, as the two haggle over terms against a backdrop of rising international pressure on Tehran.
Iran admits the pain of sanctions
AFP: Western sanctions have taken such a toll on Iran over the past 18 months that now — as the screw is about to be tightened yet further — Tehran’s studied insouciance is slipping, with officials admitting the economic damage being felt.
Iran excludes Polish PGNiG from its gas field
Reuters: Iran has excluded Poland’s state-controlled gas monopoly PGNiG from developing a gas field, accusing the company of dragging its feet over the project, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported on Monday.
Iran parliament sends condolences over Kim Jong-Il
AFP: Iran’s lawmakers on Monday sent condolences to the parliament of North Korea over the death of Kim Jong-Il, with speaker Ali Larijani saying he grieved the loss of the leader of “the friendly nation,” according to the ISNA news agency.
APNewsBreak: Diplomats say Iran invites nuke aides
AP: Iran has reinstated an offer for U.N. nuclear agency officials to visit Tehran, but is not saying whether they will be able to focus on suspicions that it is secretly working on nuclear arms — a key condition set by the agency, diplomats said Monday.
Russia’s Tatneft denies agreed deal in Iran
Reuters: Russian oil company Tatneft denied on Monday it had agreed to develop an oil field in Iran.
