AFP: US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted Thursday that Bashar al-Assad must still quit power despite moves to organize peace talks in Syria’s bloody civil war.
Obama and Erdogan demand Assad step down
UN: 14 Iranian exiles moved from Iraq to Albania
AP: The first group of exiles from an Iranian opposition group have moved to Albania from a former U.S. military base near Baghdad as part of a relocation process, the United Nations mission to Iraq said Thursday.
Russia says Iran must take part in proposed Syria talks
Reuters: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Iran must take part in a proposed international conference to end Syria’s civil war, but that Western states wanted to limit the participants and possibly predetermine the outcome of the talks.
Iran’s Jalili says nuclear talks ‘long and useful’
AFP: Iran’s top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said on Thursday that nuclear talks with the EU’S foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton were “long and useful” and that both sides have decided to continue the discussions.
U.S. action in Syria could sway Iran on nukes
Bloomberg: Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad must be pleased at how, within a week, the conversation has shifted from his regime’s alleged use of chemical weapons to an international peace conference on Syria’s civil war.
Iranian cleric: Women can’t be president in Iran
AP: A member of Iran’s constitutional watchdog says women cannot be presidential candidates, effectively killing the longshot bids by about 30 women seeking to run in the June 14 election.
Iran says ready for nuclear talks with world powers
Reuters: Iran is prepared to pursue nuclear diplomacy with world powers before or after next month’s presidential election in the Islamic Republic, its chief negotiator said on Thursday.
Senators urge Obama to press Iran by increased sanctions
Bloomberg: Members of Congress from both parties today urged Obama administration officials to impose greater economic pressure to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions and punish its human-rights violations.
US targets Iran rial, gold imports in sanctions pressure
AFP: The United States is working to block sales of gold to Iranians in order to undermine their currency the rial and to step up pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program, officials said Wednesday.
US slams ‘repression’ in run-up to Iran polls
AFP: US officials Wednesday slammed a campaign of “unrelenting repression” ahead of Iran’s presidential elections, and said the outcome would be very hard to predict amid a secret vetting process.
