Reuters: U.S. officials have held talks with Turkey over U.S. sanctions on Iran, U.S. and Turkish officials said, a possible sign that Washington may be growing impatient with Ankara’s trade with Iran despite sanctions.
U.S. officials discussed Iran sanctions with Turkey
Iran’s Bushehr plant not a major proliferation risk: experts
AFP: Iran’s first nuclear plant, scheduled to go online this weekend, is not a major proliferation risk, despite international concerns about the nature of Tehran’s atomic programme, experts said Friday.
Tupras Q2 net misses forecast, no Iran sales
Reuters: Tupras, Europe’s fourth-biggest oil refiner, on Friday posted a 40 percent drop in its second-quarter net profit, pulled lower by a weaker lira.
US officials wrap up eight-nation tour on Iran sanctions
AFP: US officials wrapped up Friday an extensive visit to eight nations to push for the implementation of US and UN sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear program, the Treasury Department said.
Britain repeats concern over Iranian nuclear drive
AFP: Britain acknowledged Iran’s right to build nuclear power stations Saturday as it began loading fuel into the first plant, but warned that concerns remain about the Islamic republic’s atomic programme.
Iran test fires Qiam missile
AFP: Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Friday that Iran has test fired a surface-to-surface missile, Qiam, while footage of the event was screened on state television.
U.S. assures Israel that Iran threat is not imminent
New York Times: The Obama administration, citing evidence of continued troubles inside Iran’s nuclear program, has persuaded Israel that it would take roughly a year — and perhaps longer — for Iran to complete what one senior official called a “dash” for a nuclear weapon, according to American officials.
Iran sanctions challenge South Korea to balance interests
Washington Post: South Korea, a nation that prides itself on its adaptive economy and its tight alliance with the United States, has come under pressure from the Obama administration to sacrifice the first for the sake of the second by signing on to stringent new sanctions against Iran. After much dithering, Seoul learned this week that it is running out of time to respond.
Russia opening Iran nuclear plant helps bid to be power broker
Bloomberg: Russia will switch on Iran’s first nuclear power plant tomorrow as the government seeks to bolster its global influence by acting as a power broker between the U.S. and its European allies and the Persian Gulf nation.
Ahmadinejad says Iran ready for nuclear talks: report
AFP: Iran is ready for immediate talks with world powers over a nuclear fuel swap deal, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview published in Japan on Friday.
