New York Times: The Obama administration, citing evidence of continued troubles inside Iran’s nuclear program, has persuaded Israel that it would take roughly a year — and perhaps longer — for Iran to complete what one senior official called a “dash” for a nuclear weapon, according to American officials.
U.S. assures Israel that Iran threat is not imminent
Iran sanctions challenge South Korea to balance interests
Washington Post: South Korea, a nation that prides itself on its adaptive economy and its tight alliance with the United States, has come under pressure from the Obama administration to sacrifice the first for the sake of the second by signing on to stringent new sanctions against Iran. After much dithering, Seoul learned this week that it is running out of time to respond.
Russia opening Iran nuclear plant helps bid to be power broker
Bloomberg: Russia will switch on Iran’s first nuclear power plant tomorrow as the government seeks to bolster its global influence by acting as a power broker between the U.S. and its European allies and the Persian Gulf nation.
Ahmadinejad says Iran ready for nuclear talks: report
AFP: Iran is ready for immediate talks with world powers over a nuclear fuel swap deal, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview published in Japan on Friday.
South Korea to hold talks with U.S. and Iran over sanctions
Reuters: South Korea will soon start separate talks with the United States and Iran as it comes under pressure to join U.S.-led sanctions to force Tehran to drop its nuclear ambitions, a government official said on Friday.
U.S. rescues 8 Iranian sailors
CNN: Sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman rescued eight Iranian mariners in the Arabian Sea on Wednesday, the U.S. Navy said Thursday.
Germany: 2 men charged over Iran arms embargo
AP: German federal prosecutors say they have charged two men with violating an arms embargo by working to export equipment that Iran wanted for its missile program.
Locals in oil-rich city contemplate Iran’s economic future
Iran Focus: Ahvaz, Iran, Aug. 19 – On a recent sunny afternoon down south in Iran’s oil heartland, Majid, an engineer in his 30s gives a bleak assessment of his outlook for Iran’s energy industry and the blistering effect of global sanctions on the regime over its controversial nuclear projects.
Cleric smuggles narcotics into Iran prison
Iran Focus: Tehran, Aug. 19 – From the Grapevine… Cleric Massih Mottalebi, congregation leader of Gohardash Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, is responsible for the entry of narcotics into the prison.
Man hanged in south-west Iran
Iran Focus: Tehran, Aug. 19 – A young man, Makki Jaradi, was hanged earlier this week in Ahvaz, in the south-western province of Khuzestan.
