AP: A strong, magnitude 6.1 earthquake jolted a sparsely populated mountainous province near Iran’s border with Iraq on Monday, Iranian state television reported. There were no reports of fatalities but a local official said there were injuries and that the temblor had caused damage. The TV said the quake hit the town of Murmuri, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) southwest of the capital.
Strong quake hits remote area in southwest Iran
Obama’s policies prolong life of Iranian regime
Columbia Tribune: Nuclear talks between Iran and the six world powers are in the homestretch as the two sides agreed to an extension of the so-far-fruitless talks for another four months. While U.S. policy in the talks has been directed by the White House, many in Congress, along with independent critics, remain concerned about a deal that might give Iran a long leash.
Iran tells UN nuclear chief no talks on missiles
AP: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani told the visiting head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Sunday that Tehran will not discuss its long-range missile program as part of talks aimed at resolving a decade-long nuclear dispute, official media reported. “Iran’s missile power is not negotiable at any level under any pretext,” Rouhani told Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
UN nuclear chief holds Iran talks as deadlines loom
AFP: The head of the UN atomic watchdog held talks in Iran on Sunday ahead of an August 25 deadline for Tehran to answer decade-old allegations of past nuclear weapons research. Yukiya Amano held morning talks with Foreign Minister Mohammaf Javad Zarif before meeting President Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported.
Russia, Iran collaborating to bypass western sanctions
Newsmax: Russia and Iran appear to be working together to get around Washington’s stricter sanctions by joining forces in an oil deal that doesn’t appear to make much financial sense. Earlier this month, Russian Energy Minister and his counterpart in Tehran signed a five-year memorandum of understanding in Moscow, which includes helping Iran ship crude oil even into the oil-saturated Russian market, reports Reuters.
Iraq’s last chance
New York Times: I was involved in the formation of all five of Iraq’s governments between 2003 and 2010, and I know that the coming weeks will be decisive, turbulent and violent, as leaders from all factions jockey for both power and money — to help represent their respective communities and to siphon away billions of government dollars through systemic patronage.
Iran: Nuclear deal by November deadline unlikely
AP: Iran’s foreign minister said Friday that Tehran is unlikely to reach a final nuclear accord with world powers by a November deadline. Parliament’s news website quoted Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying that even if a general agreement is reached before the deadline, the two sides will require more time to discuss details. “Hence, it is unlikely to reach a final conclusion before a four-month span,” he said.
IAEA says chief to visit Iran for nuclear talks Sunday
AFP: The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Yukiya Amano, will visit Iran on Sunday to try to advance cooperation over its contested nuclear drive, the organisation said. Amano, who last went to Tehran in November, is due to hold talks with Iranian leaders and senior officials, the IAEA said.
Iran to drill south pars gas as it reviews oil contracts
Bloomberg: Iran plans to finish developing its giant South Pars gas field within three years, regardless of the sanctions on its economy, and is rescheduling a campaign to woo U.S. and European oil companies with investor contracts. Iran, holder of the world’s largest natural gas reserves, expects to expand production at the Persian Gulf deposit that it shares with Qatar.
Iraq’s Maliki finally steps aside, paving way for new government
Reuters: Nuri al-Maliki finally bowed to pressure within Iraq and beyond on Thursday and stepped down as prime minister, paving the way for a new coalition that world and regional powers hope can quash a Sunni Islamist insurgency that threatens Baghdad. Maliki ended eight years of often divisive, sectarian rule and endorsed fellow Shi’ite Haider al-Abadi in a televised speech.
