Iran Focus
London, 6 Apr – Iran executed nearly 1000 people in 2015 and was the world’s number one state executioner after China, according to the latest toll published on Wednesday by the London-based human rights organisation Amnesty International.
London, 4 Apr – Saudi Arabia has taken steps to slow Iran’s efforts at increasing oil exports, banning vessels that transport Iranian crude from entering their waters, Britain’s Financial Times reported on Monday quoting traders and shipbrokers.
Iran already faces insurance, financing and legal obstacles despite the lifting of sanctions linked to its oil industry in January. Under a nuclear deal with major world powers, Tehran was allowed to resume crude exports to Europe and other destinations.
London, 4 Apr – Saudi Arabia has taken steps to slow Iran’s efforts at increasing oil exports, banning vessels that transport Iranian crude from entering their waters, Britain’s Financial Times reported on Monday quoting traders and shipbrokers.
Iran Focus
Paris, 3 Apr – A number of female Air France cabin crew are resisting an airline ruling that they should wear a headscarf while in Iran when flights to Tehran resume on 17 April.
Islamabad, 2 Apr – Pakistan has asked Iran to investigate the case of a suspected Indian spy who Pakistani authorities say has confessed to spying against Pakistan from Iran, according to a copy of an Interior Ministry letter to Iran obtained by Reuters on Friday.
Last month, Pakistan said it had detained the suspected spy, Kulbhushan Jadhav, in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan after he had illegally entered the country from Iran.
Dubai, 2 Apr – Bahrain’s foreign minister said on Friday that Gulf Arab states were prepared to confront Iran over its foreign policy and Tehran should drop its support for Middle East factions.
Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al-Khalifa also played down any difference with the United States over remarks by US President Barack Obama last month telling Saudi Arabia and Iran “to find an effective way to share the neighbourhood”, Reuters reported.
Washington, 2 Apr – United States President Barack Obama on Friday criticized Iranian leaders for undermining the “spirit” of last year’s historic nuclear agreement, even as they stick to the “letter” of the pact.
In comments following the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, Obama denied speculation that the US would ease rules preventing dollars from being used in financial transactions with Iran, in order to boost the country’s engagement with the rest of the world.
Iran Focus
London, 31 Mar – On March 20 a large shipment of arms believed to have come from Iran was seized by the French Navy off the coast of Somalia. The cache, which included several hundred AK47 assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank weapons was spotted heading toward Somalia by a helicopter performing routine surveillance although the ultimate destination is believed to be Yemen.
