Washington Post: One of the Obama administration talking points is that it has weakened and isolated the Iranian regime. Aside from the economic beating Iran has taken, there really isn’t any evidence that has come about.
Iran unleashed, unbowed
Iran minister says sanctions drive inflation above 30%
AFP: Iran’s Finance Minister Shamseddin Hosseini said Tuesday that international sanctions had pushed inflation above 30% and were causing “a lot of trouble” but that Iran’s nuclear drive would not be halted.
Trial begins for Md. man in Iran satellite case
AP: The case against an Iranian-American man accused of helping Iran launch its first satellite may sound like a James Bond movie but it’s a real life drama, a prosecutor said Tuesday as trial opened.
Iran’s president accused of manipulating public views
AP: Iran’s armed forces joint chief of staff is accusing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of trying to manipulate public opinion. It is the latest exchange of harsh rhetoric between outgoing Ahmadinejad and his conservative opponents ahead of the June election.
Iraq: 36 dead after raid on Sunni protest site
AP: Iraqi security forces backed by helicopters raided a Sunni protest camp before dawn Tuesday, prompting clashes that killed at least 36 people in the area and significantly intensified Sunni anger against the Shiite-led government.
Iran offers to be West’s “reliable partner” in Mideast
Reuters: Iran said on Tuesday that it would be a “reliable partner” in the Middle East if Western countries would take a more cooperative approach in talks on its nuclear program.
US-Israel arms deal to destabilise region: Iran
AFP: Iran criticised on Tuesday a US deal to sell advanced missiles and aircraft to Israel, saying the move will only destabilise the region.
Iran’s wooing of Africa yields scant results as sanctions bite
Reuters: Before Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad started a visit to Niger last week, there was talk that the poor West African state might add Iran to its list of buyers for the uranium mined in its remote desert north.
Iran denies link with Canada terror plot suspects
AP: Iran is denying any link with two suspects charged with plotting a terrorist attack against a Canadian passenger train.
Suspects in Canada train plot to appear in court
AFP: Assistant RCMP Commissioner James Malizia told reporters the suspects “were receiving support from Al-Qaeda elements located in Iran” but added: “There’s no indication that these attacks were state-sponsored.”
