AP: President Bush's weeklong tour through Berlin, Rome, Paris and London appears every bit the glamorous old-style farewell tour with a leisurely schedule, jaunts to country castles and lavish dinners.
Bush to discuss concerns about Iran on Europe trip
INTERVIEW-Costs delay Malaysian Petronas’ Iran, Sudan plans
Reuters: Spiralling costs have forced Malaysia's state oil firm Petronas to defer decisions on two major projects, in Iran and Sudan, its chief said on Monday.
Future US forces in Iraq don’t threaten Iran: Pentagon
AFP: US forces which might remain in Iraq in the future after a general drawdown are not meant to be permanent and will not be used to attack Iran, a Pentagon official said Monday.
Record oil price not due to lack of supply: Iran
Reuters: Oil's rise to a record over $139 a barrel last week had nothing to do with a supply shortage, Iran's OPEC Governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi said on Monday.
Iran vows ‘painful response’ if Israel attacks
AP: Iran's defense minister warned of a "painful response" if Israel attacks Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday.
Iranian inflation tops 25 percent
AFP: Inflation in Iran, the subject of heavy criticism against the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, rose again over the past month to over 25 percent, the central bank said on Sunday.
Iran sees oil price at $150 per barrel by end-summer
Reuters: World crude prices are expected to reach $150 per barrel by the end of summer, Iran's representative to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) was quoted as saying on Sunday.
US military arrests 2 suspected militiamen in Iraq
AP: U.S. soldiers in Baghdad captured an Iraqi arms dealer and "assassination squad" leader responsible for trafficking Shiite extremists in and out of neighboring Iran for training, the military said Sunday.
Ex-premier is expelled from governing party in Iraq
New York Times: In a shakeup at the top of Iraq’s Shiite power structure, former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was expelled from the governing Dawa political party, officials said Saturday.
Israel disavows minister’s Iran threat
AFP: Israeli officials on Sunday slammed a senior minister's threat last week to strike Iran if it does not halt its nuclear drive, accusing him of using the issue for domestic political ends.
