Iran Focus: Tehran, Jun. 06 – Students in Payam-Nour University of Ardebil (northwest Iran) began a hunger strike, protesting the arrests of fellow student activists. In the latest in a string of university hunger strikes across the country, students in Payam-Nour University announced in a statement, “In memory of those who could use their wealth of knowledge …

Iran Focus: London, Jun. 06 – British Prime Minister Tony Blair will fly to Washington for talks with United States President George W Bush on Iran, Iraq, and the Middle East peace process. Downing Street today announced the trip, with the two leaders’ discussion expected to begin tonight and continue on Tuesday.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Jun. 06 – Students in the University of Yazd (central Iran) have started a hunger strike today in protest against a recent government clampdown on student activists. The students said they began their hunger strike after recent threats by the authorities against them. A number of students have been arrested by the secret police, the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, on bogus charges.

Reuters: OPEC oil producers may opt to raise output when they meet next week due to rising political pressure, although Iran will lobby the cartel to trim oversupply instead, the country’s OPEC governor told a newspaper. Bucking the trend of members looking to leave production unchanged on June 15, Hossein Kazempour Ardebili said it wanted the group to pull production back to official quota levels.

Iran Focus: Washington, DC, Jun. 05 – Over 500 former members and supporters of an Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI / MeK), signed an open letter to New York-based Human Rights Watch rejecting allegations of abuse by the group, the PMOI’s Persian-language website reported. The petition was signed by former members who all now live in North America and Europe, and it was delivered to HRW’s headquarters by a delegation from the signatories.