Reuters: Oil’s ascent towards $100 a barrel, which OPEC blames on western financial speculators, has handed Iran a windfall to help contain domestic discontent and take the sting out of sanctions designed to squeeze its economy.
ANALYSIS-Higher oil price empowers Iran, blunts sanctions
Iran says able to enrich uranium even if attacked
Reuters: Iran will be able to carry out uranium enrichment even in the case of a military attack on its nuclear facilities, Iran’s nuclear envoy said in Moscow on Thursday.
Westerners ‘lost in desert of lust’: Ahmadinejad
AFP: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticised Western culture on Thursday, saying its people are “lost in a desert of lust,” and also took aim at his own country’s family-planning policy, the Ilna news agency reported.
Iran’s nuke program – how much time for diplomacy?
AP: Six-power talks with Iran are to begin with the U.S. confident that international efforts have slowed Tehran’s capacity to make nuclear arms.
Iran calls on powers to move fast on fuel swap talks
Reuters: Iran called on international powers on Thursday to move quickly on fuel swap talks with Tehran, its nuclear envoy told reporters in Moscow.
Iran seeks to boost corps of web watchers
AP: Iran’s top police chief envisions a new beat for his forces: patrolling cyberspace.
Iran tests missile in display before nuclear talks
AP: Iran says it has test-fired an anti-aircraft missile near a nuclear site in a military display before talks resume with world powers over Tehran’s uranium enrichment program.
US may punish China firms evading Iran sanctions: Clinton
AFP: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that some Chinese firms were still failing to comply fully with UN sanctions and suggested Washington could impose its own sanctions on them.
Hong Kong to pass laws to seize Iran-linked assets
AFP: Hong Kong said Wednesday it was “striving” to pass legislation to comply with UN sanctions against Iran, after 20 shipping firms in the city were accused of being linked to Tehran’s weapons buildup.
Syria, Iran sign gas pipeline deal
AFP: Syria and Iran signed on Wednesday a deal to build a pipeline that would carry Iranian gas to Syria through Iraq, state news agency Sana reported.
