Iran Focus: Tehran, Jan. 13 – In an apparent reference to the presence of US troops in Iraq, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Corps (IRGC) official called for Iran to mobilize its troops against the “dangerous Zionist threat”.
Speaking to Revolutionary Guards and Iran’s Bassij (paramilitary police) forces in Khuzestan on Tuesday Deputy IRGC Commander Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr said, “The Islamic Republic will not tolerate American presence in the region”.

AP: An Iranian man who sought asylum in Australia after converting from Islam to Christianity has been deported to Tehran – where rights activists say his change of religion could endanger his life, a refugee advocacy group said Wednesday. The man, in his 30s, was placed on a flight late Tuesday from Sydney to Dubai, from where he would be transported to Iran, said Ian Rental, a spokesman for the Refugee Action Coalition.

Iran Focus: Tehran, Jan. 13 – Sixteen Iranian students were killed when a fire broke out in a school in western Iran at midday. Reports confirm that the fire broke out in Safilan village’s local school in Chahar Mahale Bakhtiari province (west Iran) after a schoolteacher attempted to turn on a gas heater which was near flammable liquids which caught fire upon contact.

Associated Press: The European Union resumed trade talks with Iran on Wednesday, more than 18 months after they were frozen because of concerns over Tehran’s nuclear program. The EU agreed to reopen talks on a trade deal after Iran agreed last year to suspend uranium enrichment and related activities that had sparked fears it was seeking to develop nuclear weapons.