Washington Times: A bipartisan group of former officials and retired military officers is urging President Obama to provide humanitarian aid to hundreds of Iranian dissidents living at a former U.S. military compound near Baghdad’s international airport. Gen. Jones said the dissidents require similar protection as the religious minorities who are fleeing persecution from the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.
Ex-officials urge aid for Iranian dissidents at Camp Liberty
A Christian prisoner in Iran
Wall Street Journal: Iran’s leaders are preparing for another visit to New York this month for the U.N. General Assembly, but many of their citizens aren’t going anywhere as they languish in the regime’s prisons for political crimes. One notable case is Farshid Fathi, an evangelical Christian pastor who this week will spend his 35th birthday in jail.
Sudan government closes Iranian cultural centers
AP: Sudan announced Tuesday it closed the Iranian cultural center in the capital and other branches, saying the establishment violated its mandate and became a social and ideological threat to the largely Sunni country. The official statement by Foreign Ministry spokesman Youssef al-Kordofani came a day after local media reported the Iranian center was shut in the capital, Khartoum.
After deadline, Iran says it is still working on nuclear steps for IAEA
Reuters: Iran held talks with the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Sunday about its investigation into suspicions that Tehran has conducted atomic bomb research. Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Reza Najafi, appeared to acknowledge, however, that Tehran had missed a deadline of Aug.25 to meet five requests from the International Atomic Energy Agency about its nuclear programme.
Iran unveils new surface-to-air missile, radars
AP: Iran has unveiled a new surface-to-air missile and two radar systems it claims will boost the country’s defense capabilities. Air defense chief Gen. Farzad Esmaili says the missile will enable Iranian forces to “shoot down any hostile target,” even at high altitudes. He says the Talash-3, or Endeavor-3 missile was successfully test-fired recently. Esmaili’s speech was broadcast on state TV Tuesday.
Iranian cleric issues fatwa against the Internet
Washington Post: Last week, Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi said 3G mobile services are against sharia law and violate “human and moral norms.” He cautioned Iran’s information ministry against providing 3G mobile service before the technology is “purified” of its “negative features” to ensure “moral and psychological security” for users.
Iran says latest U.S. Sanctions won’t stop nuclear talks
Bloomberg: The latest U.S. sanctions against Iran won’t directly affect talks with world powers to reach an agreement over the Islamic republic’s nuclear program, President Hassan Rouhani said. “They don’t damage the talks but they do damage trust,” Rouhani told a news conference in Tehran.
Iran FM to meet EU’s Ashton in Brussels
AFP: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was to hold talks with top EU diplomat Catherine Ashton in Brussels Monday, following fresh US sanctions on entities linked to Tehran’s nuclear programme. Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, has shepherded year-long talks between Iran and major powers, aiming for a comprehensive deal to end a decade-long dispute over the Islamic republic’s nuclear activities.
Iran nuclear talks to continue on fringes of UN assembly – Ashton
Reuters: The six global powers will discuss ways to reach a comprehensive nuclear deal with Iran on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September, the European Union’s foreign policy chief said on Saturday. Talks aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for ending sanctions began in February.
Iran says possible response to new U.S. sanctions could not be ‘pleasant’
Reuters: Iran’s possible response to new U.S. sanctions could “not be pleasant”, its foreign minister said on Sunday, raising the prospect of tit-for-tat retribution against the Islamic Republic’s old adversary weeks ahead of fresh nuclear talks. Iranian leaders reacted with dismay to Friday’s announcement that Washington was going to penalise a number of Iranian and other foreign companies.
