Bloomberg: Ali Akbar Velayati was addressing the United Nations as Iran’s foreign minister when a dissident rushed onstage, snatched his speech and tore it up. As security wrestled the man away, Velayati waited calmly with his hands in his pockets.
Velayati may run for Iran president as calm to Ahmadinejad storm
The most revealing moment of Obama’s Israel trip
Bloomberg: Obama succeeded in convincing the Israeli defense establishment that he means business when he promises to use military force against the Iranian nuclear project if sanctions and diplomacy fail.
Saudi says busted spy cell directly linked to Iran
AFP: An alleged spy cell dismantled last week in Saudi Arabia had “direct links” to Iran’s intelligence services, the kingdom’s interior ministry said on Tuesday.
Senate shows united support for blocking Iran access to euros
Reuters: The Senate showed strong support over the weekend for blocking Iran’s access to euros, as Congress continues to push for additional measures to choke funding to Tehran’s nuclear program.
U.S. urges EU action to overcome Iran sanctions court appeals
Reuters: The United States is concerned Iranian appeals to European courts could loosen sanctions against Tehran, said a State Department official on Monday who urged the EU to urgently find a way to allow judges to examine secret intelligence evidence.
Dubai’s trade with Iran shrinks a third in 2012
Reuters: Dubai’s trade with Iran plunged by a third in 2012, the Dubai customs authority said on Monday, an indication of how much U.S. financial sanctions are hurting Iranian business with the rest of the world.
In ‘spirited’ talks, Kerry tells Iraq to help stop arms shipments to Syria
New York Times: As Mr. Kerry prepared to leave Iraq afterward, he warned that the Iranian flights were sustaining the government of the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and were undermining Iraq’s standing with American lawmakers.
The strategic cost of Obama’s election-driven withdrawal
Wall Street Journal: On Sunday Secretary of State John Kerry was reduced to pleading with Iraqi officials to search Iranian flights that fly over Iraq on their way to arming Bashar Assad’s Syrian government.
Kerry warns Iraq on Iran flights to Syria
AP: Just days after the 10th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry confronted Baghdad for continuing to grant Iran access to its airspace and said Iraq’s behavior was raising questions about its reliability as a partner.
India plans reinsurance fund to cover refiners using Iranian oil
Reuters: India plans to set up a fund to back local insurers providing cover for refiners processing Iranian oil after companies warned they would be forced to halt imports from the sanctions-hit nation, the federal oil secretary said on Sunday.
