AFP: James Jeffrey, the new US ambassador to Iraq, arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday and presented his diplomatic credentials to the conflict-torn nation’s head of state, the US embassy said in a statement.
New US ambassador to Iraq arrives in Baghdad
Venezuela says it will still send gasoline to Iran
Reuters: Venezuela will continue to supply Iran with gasoline despite sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic by the United States, European Union and others, Caracas’s ambassador to Tehran said on Wednesday.
Jailed Iranian student leader moved to new prison
RFE/RL: Jailed Iranian student leader Majid Tavakoli has been transferred from Tehran’s Evin prison to the nearby Rajaeeshahr prison, RFE/RL’s Radio Farda reports.
Russia defends Iran nuclear plant ahead of launch
AFP: Russia on Wednesday defended the nuclear power plant it is building for Iran in the southern city of Bushehr, days ahead of a ceremony to mark the formal launch of the controversial facility.
Iran condemns possible US military action
AP: Iran has taken its case against the United States to the United Nations and is strongly condemning the top U.S. military chief for saying military action remains a possibility if the country develops nuclear weapons.
Iran says nuclear plant’s opening shows resistance to pressure
Bloomberg: The Aug. 21 opening of Iran’s first nuclear power plant will show the country’s resistance to “extraordinary pressure and sanctions,” said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization.
U-turn over Iran VP’s ‘British idiots’ tirade
The Scotsman: A senior Iranian politician who claimed the British were inhuman idiots ruled by a “mafia” and a stupid prime minister has rowed back on some of his more outrageous remarks.
US support in Iraq needed only ‘a few more years’: diplomat
AFP: US financial support for Iraq will be needed for only a “few more years” until Iraq can tap its vast oil wealth and stand on its own feet, the departing US ambassador to Baghdad said Tuesday.
Iraq’s Allawi says to intensify talks with Sadrists
Reuters: Former Iraqi premier Iyad Allawi said on Tuesday his Sunni-backed Iraqiya alliance would intensify talks with an anti-American Shi’ite movement to try to break a political stalemate.
Latest Iran sanctions will hurt UAE trade: business official
AFP: The latest sanctions on Iran will harm trade with the United Arab Emirates, an Iranian business official said on Tuesday, as UAE authorities said the embargo must not hurt legitimate commerce.
