Reuters: Iran has reduced demands for the size of its future nuclear enrichment programme in talks with world powers although Western governments are urging Tehran to compromise further, Western diplomats said on Thursday. The diplomats said it would still be hard to clinch a deal by the self-imposed July 20 deadline. Iran, a major oil producer, says it plans a future network of nuclear power plants to diversify its energy supply.
Iran eases demands in Vienna nuclear talks: Western diplomats
Iran’s top spy is the modern-day Karla, John le Carré’s villainous mastermind
Daily Beast: They call him “Keyser Soze.” That’s the nickname the most influential spy in the Middle East has earned among regional hands and Arab officials—likely because no one, apart from them, has ever heard of him. Like the spectral villain who haunts The Usual Suspects—and is said to have murdered his own wife and children in cold blood just to prove a point—Maj. Gen. Qassem Suleimani is a lethal international man of mystery.
French firms look to conquer Iran
France24: Western powers resumed talks with Iran Wednesday over its nuclear programme – negotiations likely to be followed closely by French businesses eager for the chance to gain nearly 80 million potential new customers. If a deal is reached, it would mean the lifting of economic sanctions against Tehran, opening the door for Western firms to tap into the potentially lucrative Iranian market.
Mr. President: keep your promises to Camp Liberty!
Townhall.com: We have a situation at Camp Liberty in Iraq where some 3,000 refugees from Iran, all of whom are opponents of the brutal Mullahs’ regime in Tehran, are being held. These refugees are being told to sever their ties to a group called MeK before they can be considered for asylum in the U.S. or Europe. They are being ordered to renounce their beliefs.
The Middle East’s three-way war
The Hill: How to make sense of the different factions and forces now fighting in Syria and Iraq? The conflict is best understood as a three-way war among ISIS (the radical Sunni offshoot of al Qaeda), moderate Sunnis, and Shiites. In this three-way war, each of the three sides is vying for victory against the other two, and each also represents a much greater cause.
Iranian fighter planes are in Iraq
UPI: Fighter planes from Iran have arrived in Iraq to provide air support in Iraq’s fight against Sunni militants who have overtaken much of the country. After Russia supplied Su-25 jets and the United States provided helicopters, drones and missiles, three Su-25s from Iran have arrived as well, said the International Institute for Strategic Studies, based in London.
Iran, world powers resume push for nuclear deal by July 20
Reuters: Iran and six world powers resumed talks on Thursday aimed at hammering out an accord later this month to end a long-running dispute over Tehran’s nuclear program, seeking to bridge still wide gaps in their negotiating positions. After informal contacts on Wednesday, chief negotiators from Iran, the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and Britain began a full plenary session shortly after 9 a.m.
Contractor denied release in Iran documents case
AP: A former defense contractor engineer poses too much of a flight risk to release from prison while he awaits trial on charges that he tried to ship sensitive military documents to Iran, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. Magistrate Judge William Garfinkel denied a bail request by Mozaffar Khazaee, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of transporting property stolen from companies where he’d worked, including jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney.
Iran pushes back against US demands at nuke talks
AP: Iran pushed back Wednesday against U.S. demands for concessions at nuclear talks, declaring it would never “kneel” over what curbs Tehran must accept to win an end to the sanctions choking its economy. Both Iran and the six world powers it is negotiating with want an accord by July 20. But they parted last month without significant progress – and came to the table Wednesday with demands that the other side blink first.
Iran’s oil exports drop in June, stay above Western limits
Reuters: Iran’s crude oil exports dropped in June after a spike in May, yet sales were still above the level allowed by an interim deal aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear programme, according to sources who track tanker movements. Under the agreement signed in November between Iran and six world powers, which came into effect in January, Iran’s exports should average 1 million barrels per day (bpd) through to July 20.
