AP: Iranian state TV says a magnitude 5.5 earthquake has jolted a sparsely populated area in the country’s south. The report said the quake hit Sunday evening in the district of Goharan.
Report: Moderate earthquake hits southern Iran
Iran says nuclear talks failure would be ‘disaster’
Reuters: Iran’s foreign minister held rare private talks with his U.S. counterpart on Sunday and said it would be a “disaster” if Tehran did not turn a provisional agreement to defuse a decade-old dispute over its nuclear program into a permanent deal.
EU negotiator has doubts about Iran nuclear deal deadline
UPI: Catherine Ashton, foreign policy chief for the EU, said it would be “extremely difficult” to conclude an accord before the six-month deadline is reached, but it was more important to create an acceptable agreement.
Clinton backs Obama on Iran sanctions
The Hill: Hillary Clinton is backing President Obama’s diplomacy with Iran in a move that could hurt her with major Jewish donors as she ponders a 2016 run. Clinton weighed in against a bipartisan sanctions push that’s stuck in the Senate.
U.S. warns over limits of Iran sanctions easing
Wall Street Journal: U.S. officials are fanning out across the globe, privately warning international executives not to commit too much as they re-engage with Iran during a temporary easing of sanctions.
Kerry meets with Iranian foreign minister
AP: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iran’s foreign minister Sunday on the sidelines of a security conference in Germany, pressing Iran to abide by the commitments it has already made ahead of new negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran gets first instalment of frozen assets
AFP: Iran has received the first instalment of $4.2 billion in frozen assets as part of a nuclear deal with world powers, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told ISNA news agency Saturday.
It’s Howard Dean vs. Obama on Iran
Washington Post: Former Vermont governor Howard Dean surprised and delighted critics of President Obama’s Iran policy with the most cogent and forceful criticism of the interim deal from any Democrat to date.
Islamist state of Iran: leader in human rights violation
Front Page: The Iranian military published a flimsy and unsubstantiated 28-page report this week criticizing human rights in the United States. Intriguingly, the report was supported by the Basij, a militia governmental group that is a leader in human rights violations.
Senate is right to not trust Iran in nuke ‘deal’
NJ.com: I was so shocked at the recent deal Iran brokered with world powers. It is a betrayal of international law, it sends a message of weakness and it makes the chances of an unthinkably terrible conflict far more likely.
