New York Times: The Iranian scientist who American officials say defected to the United States only to be pressured by Iran to return home has made his first appearance since his arrival last week in Tehran, adding details to what he says was his abduction, psychological torture and eventual release by American intelligence agents.
Scientist, back in Iran, says U.S. wanted to swap him for 3 hikers
Small bank in Germany tied to Iran nuclear effort
Wall Street Journal: As the international sanctions noose tightens around Iran’s nuclear program, Tehran is increasingly relying on a small, Iranian-owned bank in Germany to conduct business on behalf of the regime’s blacklisted companies, Western officials say.
Ahmadinejad accuses US forces for bombings in Iran
AFP: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday accused US forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan of backing the bombings such as the two suicide attacks which killed at least 28 people in southeast Iran.
US wanted to ‘swap Iranian scientist for hikers’
AFP: An Iranian scientist, who returned home last week charging he had been held by US agents for more than a year, has said that they pressed him to agree to be exchanged in a “spy” swap for three US hikers in custody in Tehran.
Iran floats idea of using UAE dirhams in oil trade
Reuters: Iran may seek payment for its oil exports to Europe in UAE dirhams rather than euros because tougher EU sanctions could block Iranian transactions in the single European currency, an Iranian official said on Sunday.
Bin Laden’s ’20-strong family stranded in Iran’: son
AFP: A son of Osama bin Laden said Sunday on Al-Arabiya television that 20 members of the Al-Qaeda chief’s family are stranded in Iran as Tehran is refusing to discuss their fate with Saudi Arabia.
CIA suspects Iranian nuclear defector who returned to Tehran was a double agent
Sunday Telegraph: The CIA is investigating whether Shahram Amiri, the Iranian nuclear scientist who defected to the US but last week flew back to Tehran, was a double agent.
Free the hikers
Washington Post – Editorial: The more information becomes available about Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri, the more the Obama administration’s version of events seems borne out: He freely chose to leave Iran for the United States, and he freely chose to return.
Iranian prosecutor urges Islamic dress checks
Reuters: Iran’s prosecutor called on Sunday for tighter checks on women who fail to observe Islamic dress code in public, the semi-official Mehr news agency reported.
Lifting the ban on Iran’s opposition
Iran Focus – Editorial: On Friday, a federal appeals court in the United States ordered the State Department to re-examine a controversial decision to maintain the main Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin (PMOI), on its list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations. The ruling was a major victory for the PMOI in its 13-year legal battle to get off the FTO list.
