Reuters: Iran’s supreme leader implicitly endorsed hardliners seeking to tighten their grip on parliament by urging voters on Wednesday to shun candidates backed by Western “enemies” in Friday’s election.
Leader tells Iranians to back U.S. foes in vote
Treasury cracks down on Bahrain bank
AP: The Bush administration is imposing financial sanctions on a Bahrain bank the United States alleges is controlled by Iran’s Bank Melli, which has been accused of providing support to Iran’s nuclear program.
Khamenei urges Iran to shun ‘Western-friendly’ candidates
AFP: Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday urged Iranians to avoid voting for candidates who are deemed too close to the Western enemies of the Islamic republic in parliamentary polls.
Iran-linked Bahrain bank targeted by U.S. sanctions
Bloomberg: The Bush administration will freeze any U.S. assets of Future Bank B.S.C., a Bahrain-based bank controlled by an Iranian lender linked to Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
Iranian envoy reassures Japan of oil supplies
AFP: Iran on Thursday reassured Japan, the top buyer of its oil, that it would continue to be a stable supplier despite fresh UN sanctions over the Islamic Republic’s contested nuclear programme.
Apathy with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rules Iran
Daily Telegraph: Campaigning ends today in Iran for a general election in which the victory of the conservatives is assured. The inevitability of the result follows the disqualification by the clerically dominated Council of Guardians of more than 800 of the 909 reformist candidates.
U.S. punishes Bahrain bank for its Iran ties
CNN: The United States Treasury Department announced sanctions Wednesday against a Bahrain bank accused of helping Iran’s alleged nuclear proliferation activities.
US denies Iran rift, war plans
AFP: The White House denied Wednesday that a rift over Iran cost the commander of US forces in the Middle East his job and said no one inside the US government was even suggesting war against Tehran.
US has ‘very low’ hopes for Iran vote
AFP: The White House said Wednesday it had “very low expectations” for Iran’s parliamentary elections later this week, saying the results were unlikely to reflect the people’s will.
Irans secret police will prosecute MP for foreign interview
Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Mar. 12 Irans notorious Ministry of Intelligence and Security announced on Wednesday that it would prosecute a member of the Iranian Majlis (Parliament) for doing an interview with the U.S. broadcaster Voice of America.
