Fox News: US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has said that President Obama has asked the military to “prepare options for all contingencies” as the crisis in Syria deepens following reports of a chemical weapons attack by that country’s government earlier this week.
Iran says Syria will let UN inspect suspected chemical sites
Maryam Rajavi demands justice for 30,000 Iranian political prisoners massacred in 1988
Digital Journal: Iranian Resistance president-elect Maryam Rajavi has condemned the ‘shameful and evil’ genocide of 30,000 political prisoners in Iran 25 years ago and called on the international community to bring the mullahs who ordered the atrocity to justice.
Iran warns against international military intervention in Syria
Bloomberg: Iran’s foreign Ministry warned against any international military action in Syria, its long-time ally, saying that intervention would heighten regional tensions. Barack Obama is coming under increased pressure to intervene in Syria amid allegations of chemical arms use by Assad.
Iran’s Rouhani says chemical weapons killed people in Syria
Reuters: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday acknowledged for the first time chemical weapons had killed people in ally Syria and called for the international community to prevent their use.
Sierra Leonean faces U.S. charges in Iran uranium sting
Bloomberg: A Sierra Leonean arrested at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport in an undercover probe of illegal uranium sales will be taken to Florida to face charges, according to court documents.
U.S. Mideast policy has failed
Wall Street Journal: Iraq continues to unravel, the Syrian War grinds on with violence spreading to Lebanon and allegations of chemical attacks this week, and Egypt stands on the brink of civil war with the generals crushing the Muslim Brotherhood and street mobs torching churches.
Iran boosts iron exports to China, India as oil sales slump
Reuters: Iran is raising its exports of iron ore and iron products to China and India in an attempt to replace at least a small part of the massive revenue that has been lost due to sanctions on its oil sales.
Sanctions biting but Iran not budging
AP: New signs are emerging that international sanctions are taking a deepening toll on Iran’s economy – putting billions of dollars in oil money out of the government’s reach. Yet there is no indication the distress is achieving the West’s ultimate goal of forcing the Islamic Republic to halt its nuclear program.
Man accused of brokering uranium deal for Iran
AP: Federal officials in Miami say a man from Sierra Leone has been charged with brokering a uranium deal intended for Iran. Patrick Campbell was arrested Wednesday in Queens, N.Y.
I was lucky to escape with my life
The Independent: Social media has made it harder for governments to cover up their abuses. For me this realization has poignant implications. Perhaps the lives of thousands of innocent people, many of them my close friends, could have been saved in my native Iran.
