Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Sep. 17 – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Teyyip Erdogan has said he will soon visit Iran.
Turkey’s Erdogan to visit Iran
Iran frees jailed Dutchman
AFP: A Dutch-Iranian man jailed in Iran for a year for “spreading the Christian faith” has been freed and is back in the Netherlands, the country’s foreign ministry said Friday.
Oman plane in Iran, awaiting U.S. citizens’ release
Reuters: The Gulf state of Oman has sent a plane to Iran for the expected release of two U.S. citizens convicted of spying, and they could be freed within 24 hours, an Omani Foreign Ministry official said on Friday.
Ahmadinejad to offer UN delegates special gift
AFP: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will bear gifts when he attends next week’s UN General Assembly, presenting delegates a book on the allied occupation of Iran during World War II, media reported Thursday.
Belarus denies violating U.N. sanctions on Iran
Reuters: Belarus on Thursday denied news reports that it was helping Iran skirt U.N. sanctions aimed at preventing Tehran from building up its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
EU concerned over arrest of Iranian rights lawyer
AFP: European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton voiced concern Thursday about Iran’s arrest of a prominent human rights lawyer, saying it signalled “the erosion of political and civil freedoms.”
Clinton says Iran will free hikers
AFP: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Thursday that she was confident Iran would free two US hikers convicted of spying and rejected concerns about the delay in their release.
Exclusive: Belarus said to help Iran flout U.N. sanctions
Reuters: Belarus is the latest country that Western powers suspect of helping Iran to skirt U.N. sanctions aimed at preventing Tehran from expanding its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, Western diplomats told Reuters.
US wants details on Iran nuke claims ‘very soon’
AFP: The United States said Wednesday it hoped the UN atomic agency would “very soon” give more detail on new information the watchdog has on possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme.
Britain will push for Iran sanctions at UN, says Hague
AFP: Foreign Secretary William Hague has vowed to confront Iran’s “repressive” human rights record by pushing for tough sanctions at next week’s United Nations General Assembly.
