AFP: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been put “under a spell” by his chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, an ultra-conservative cleric was quoted by local media on Sunday as saying.
Iran’s Ahmadinejad ‘under a spell’: top cleric
Iran, Chile discuss promotion of economic ties
Iran Focus: Tehran, May 14 – A delegation from Iran’s Majlis (Parliament) travelled to Santiago this week to discuss the potential for closer economic ties with Chile.
Iran pipes joint oilfield with Oman to Bandar Abbas refinery
Iran Focus: Tehran, May 14 – The managing director for Bandar Abbas oil refinery Mohammad Ali Mojtahedzadeh has announced that the Hengam joint oilfield with Oman was now piping crude oil to Bandar Abbas.
Ahmadinejad fires Iran oil, industry ministers amid feud with Parliament
Bloomberg: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asked three government ministers, including Oil Minister Masoud Mir-Kazemi, to step down as part of plans to combine some ministries.
Iran cleric warns Ahmadinejad but says crisis over
AFP: The crisis in the higher echelons of Iran’s regime has “passed,” influential conservative cleric Ayatollah Ahmad Janati said on Friday, as he issued a veiled warning to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
ANALYSIS-Arab dynasties lure Jordan, Morocco into anti-Iran bloc
Reuters: Rich Gulf Arab dynasties have reacted to upheaval in the Arab world by inviting fellow monarchies Jordan and Morocco to join their club as they seek ways to combat domestic unrest and a perceived Iranian threat.
France dismisses terror probe of Iranian opposition group
Wall Street Journal: Preliminary charges of terrorism filed eight years ago against members and supporters of an umbrella Iranian opposition group have been dismissed by investigating magistrates looking into the case, French officials said Thursday.
EU to blacklist Iranian-owned bank, says Berlin official
AFP: The EU is set to blacklist a German-based Iranian-owned bank which it believes is involved in the Islamic republic’s secret nuclear weapons’ programme, a German government official said Friday.
Gulf troops to stay in Bahrain to protect against ‘Iran threat’
Bloomberg: Troops from Persian Gulf nations will remain in Bahrain to protect the Sunni-monarchy against an Iranian threat and “saboteurs and thugs,” the Bahrain News Agency said, citing the commander of the Bahrain Defense Force.
Trial of American hikers charged with espionage in Iran is unexpectedly delayed
New York Times: The trial of three Americans charged with espionage and illegal entry in Iran after their arrest almost two years ago near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan failed to resume in Tehran on Wednesday, and their Iranian lawyer said he had formally protested the delay.
