UPI: The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln passed through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping lane Iran threatened to close, on Tuesday, officials said.
U.S. ship goes through Strait of Hormuz
Thai officials identify bombers as Iranian
WSJ: A suspected terrorist plot in Thailand’s capital went awry Tuesday as three apparently premature explosions tore through a bustling neighborhood, wounding four bystanders and blowing off the legs of a man police suspect was an Iranian assailant.
Blasts in Bangkok add to suspicions about Iran
New York Times: A series of explosions rocked a residential neighborhood here on Tuesday, leading the Thai authorities to a cache of bombs in a rented house and the capture of two men identified in Thai media reports as Iranians. A third suspect was being sought.
Panetta fights off questions about a possible Israeli strike in Iran
New York Times: Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta had to dance around a bit today about what he might have said to David Ignatius of The Washington Post, who drew some attention on Feb. 2 with a column asserting that Mr. Panetta was worried that Israel might well attack Iran this spring.
Bangkok blast hurts Iranian; Israel sees Iran link
AP: A wounded Iranian fleeing an unintended explosion at a house threw a grenade at Bangkok police that instead blew off one of his legs in a series of blasts Tuesday that Israel’s defense minister called an “attempted terrorist attack” by Iran. The violence came a day after Israel blamed Tehran for targeting its diplomats with bombs in India and Georgia.
India vows to find person behind Israel attack
AP: Indian investigators were searching Tuesday for the motorcycle assailant who attached a bomb to an Israeli diplomatic car in the heart of New Delhi in an attack the Jewish state blamed on Iran or its proxies.
Valentine’s Day finds a niche in Islamic Iran
AFP: Iran may reject Western influences, but Valentine’s Day has become a growing phenomenon thanks to the romantically minded youth of the Islamic state’s affluent classes.
Terror expert: NYC is likely target
UPI: Bomb attacks on Israeli embassy staff in India and Georgia raise concerns about New York City being similarly targeted, a city police expert warned.
Iran may disrupt Hormuz shipping, supporting oil price, S&P says
Bloomberg: Iran might respond to sanctions with low-level provocation such as slowing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, keeping oil prices at “their currently high level,” according to three Standard & Poor’s reports.
Letter writers break Iranian taboo
WSJ: A letter-writing campaign to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has shattered a taboo against criticizing the country’s top religious and political authority.
