New York Times: When Syria’s agricultural minister, Subhi Ahmad al-Abdullah, arrived in the Iranian capital for a visit last week, everybody involved stuck to a well-worn script.
For Iran, unrest in Syria is noise, not brutal war
Turkish police destroy smuggler’s oil pipeline with Iran
Reuters: Turkish authorities have shut down a small pipeline built by smugglers to carry illegal oil from Iran, officials said on Monday, a new twist as Western sanctions against Tehran bite.
N. Korea extends rocket launch window over Christmas
AFP: In a separate report Monday, the Chosun Ilbo — known for its comprehensive North Korean coverage — said a group of Iranian missile experts was in North Korea offering technical assistance for the planned launch.
Oil rebounds on China crude processing; OPEC to meet in Vienna
Bloomberg: Oil rose from the lowest level in three weeks in New York after China’s crude processing climbed to a record and industrial output beat estimates. OPEC meets in Vienna this week to discuss its production quota.
Saudi Arabia says Aramco cyberattack came from foreign states
Bloomberg: The kingdom has accused Shiite-led Iran, a fellow OPEC member, of interfering in the affairs of Arab countries in the Persian Gulf, home to three-fifths of the world’s proven oil reserves.
Afghans attack Iran consulate over alleged killings
AFP: Hundreds of angry demonstrators tried to storm the Iranian consulate in the western Afghan city of Herat on Sunday in protest at the alleged killing of Afghan immigrants by Iranian security forces.
Yemen security chief tells Iran to stop backing rebels
Reuters: Yemen’s security chief has told Iran to stop training and funding Shi’ite Muslim rebels who, along with al Qaeda-backed Islamists and southern separatists, are staging one of three insurgencies threatening to pull the chaotic country apart.
Iran launches own ‘YouTube’ website
AFP: Iran has launched its own video-sharing website to compete against Google’s popular YouTube whose content is deemed inappropriate by the Islamic regime, the state television reported on Sunday.
Sen. McCain: US committed to naval hub in Bahrain
AP: McCain, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee, says the U.S. has “too much invested” in Bahrain to consider shifting the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet to another country. The 5th Fleet is the Pentagon’s main counterweight to Iran’s expanding military presence in the Gulf.
Iran’s Quds force may deploy Syria’s Chemical weapons
Ya Libnan: Mamlouk, Qudsiya and Zaitoun have proposed that special units of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, rather than the Syrian Army, be asked to carry out security leaders’ orders to use chemical weapons, the source said.
