Reuters: Iran is ready to return to nuclear talks with major powers “as soon as tomorrow,” but only if the subject of the negotiations is made clear in advance, a senior official said on Monday.
Iran says ready for nuclear talks if agenda clear
Chinese firms bypass sanctions on Iran, U.S. says
Washington Post: The Obama administration has concluded that Chinese firms are helping Iran to improve its missile technology and develop nuclear weapons, and has asked China to stop such activity, a senior U.S. official said.
Iraq’s Maliki visits Iran for leadership talks
AFP: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is in Tehran on Monday to garner support for his premiership bid, as his chief rival Iyad Allawi accused Iran of meddling in Baghdad’s political affairs.
Chavez visits Iran days after signing nuclear deal with Russia
CNN: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is set to arrive in Iran Monday night to discuss the expansion of relations between the two countries, according to Iran’s semiofficial Fars News Agency.
U.S. now urges Iraqis to take their time in forming government
Los Angeles Times: The change in approach comes as an anti-American cleric’s political faction agrees to support Maliki, a deal that would run counter to U.S. interests and risk further destabilizing the country.
Iran arrests six Afghan military officers, soldier: report
AFP: Iran has arrested six Afghan military officers and a soldier who said they were hunting for Taliban militants in the border province of Sistan-Baluchestan, ISNA news agency reported on Sunday.
Marzieh, Iranian singer and voice of dissent, dies at 86
New York Times: Marzieh, the great diva of Persian traditional song, who was silenced after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 but who re-emerged years later outside Iran as a singer and a highly public supporter of the resistance, died on Wednesday in Paris. She was 86 and had defected to France in 1994.
Ahmadinejad: Iran ready for talks, won’t yield nuclear rights
CNN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is taking a hard line ahead of nuclear talks scheduled for next month with world powers skeptical of his government’s intentions, local media reported Sunday.
Iran warns domestic media over opposition news
Reuters: Iranian print media will be shut down if they publish news about the opposition, a senior state official was quoted by an opposition website as saying, pointing to a fresh crackdown on freedom of speech in the Islamic state.
U.S. deal with European oil firms hobbles Iran Air
Washington Post: A recent agreement between four of Europe’s largest oil companies and the United States aimed at further isolating Iran is already having an impact, with Iran Air, the Islamic republic’s national carrier, unable to refuel its planes in most of Europe.
