AFP: “Given his role in the events of 1979, which clearly matter profoundly to the American people, it would be unacceptable for the United States to grant this visa,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
US: No visa for Iran UN envoy over hostage crisis ‘role’
Official: Iran will not discuss missile program
AP: Iran’s defense minister says Tehran will not discuss its ballistic missiles as part of ongoing talks with world powers on a final agreement to curb the Iranian nuclear program. Ballistic missile can be used to deliver nuclear warheads.
Syria rebels get US-made missiles: source
AFP: Syrian rebels fighting to topple President Bashar al-Assad for the first time received at least 20 US-made TOW anti-tank missiles from a “Western source,” a rebel official told AFP Tuesday. Fighters from the Hazm movement have received more than 20 TOW anti-tank missiles from a Western source.
Iran says oil barter deal with Russia very hard to seal
Reuters: Iran and Russia will find it hard to agree any oil or gas trade deal because they are rivals in both markets, Iran’s deputy oil minister for international trade said on Monday. Iran and Russia have been discussing various ways of increasing bilateral trade.
Rouhani says Iran sanctions will unravel in months
Reuters: President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday international sanctions on Iran would unravel in months following negotiations with world powers on its nuclear program, the official IRNA news agency reported.
UN’s Iran rights watchdog slams case of death-row woman
AFP: UN human rights monitor urged Tehran to halt the planned execution of an Iranian woman for the alleged murder of a former intelligence official, saying her trial had been deeply flawed. Shaheed is tasked by the UN with monitoring Iran, and has regularly locked horns with the Islamic republic over its human rights record.
Iran asks UN chief to intervene in envoy row
AFP: Iran on Monday urged United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to intervene directly in a row sparked by America’s refusal to give Tehran’s chosen UN envoy a visa. The spat over Hamid Aboutalebi has undermined a cautious thaw in relations after decades of enmity.
After success on Iran, U.S. Treasury’s sanctions team faces new challenges
Reuters: This is what the modern American war room looks like: the clocks on the wall show the times in Kabul, Tehran and Bogota. The faces around the conference table are mostly young. There is talk of targets, and of middle-of-the-night calls to Europe.
Iran to maintain daily oil sales at 1 million barrels into July
Bloomberg: Iran anticipates maintaining crude exports at about 1 million barrels a day until at least July when a deal with global powers over its nuclear program will be renewed or expire, the nation’s deputy oil minister said.
Israeli minister: Kerry’s remarks on Iran nuke deal ‘not acceptable’
The Hill: An Israeli Cabinet minister said Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks over the specifics of a nuclear threshold in a final deal with Iran were “not acceptable”. “The things that Kerry said … are worrying. They are surprising. They are not acceptable,” Minister Yuval Steinitz told Israel Radio.
