Reuters: The opening round of talks between Iran and six world powers on a long-term deal for Tehran to curb parts of its nuclear program in exchange for a gradual end to sanctions is expected to take place next month in New York.
Talks on Iran nuclear deal expected in NY in February: U.S.
US plans to sell 24 Apache helicopters to Iraq
AFP: The Pentagon informed Congress on Monday it plans to sell 24 Apache attack helicopters to Iraq in a deal worth $4.8 billion to help Baghdad battle anti-government militants.
Iranian oil tanker sanctions suspended after nuclear deal
Bloomberg: National Iranian Tanker Co. got permission to ship oil to some Asian countries as sanctions were eased, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing the company’s Managing Director Ali Akbar Safaei.
Iranian official confirms country sought to build nuclear weapons
Daily Caller: A founder of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards now admits that the Islamic Republic was seeking to acquire nuclear weapons. This is the first time any regime official has made such an admission, even as another report claims that one of Iran’s most radical clerics was the spiritual overseer of the nuclear weapons program.
Earthquake strikes southeast Iran; no injuries
AP: A moderate earthquake has struck southeastern Iran. The official IRNA news agency reported no damage or injuries. However, even moderate quakes have killed thousands of people in the past in Iran’s countryside.
Syria talks yield narrow deal, Assad ‘red line’
AP: Two days of face-to-face peace talks yielded a narrow and tentative agreement Sunday for women and children trapped in a besieged Syrian city, and the government said President Bashar Assad had no intention of giving up “the keys to Damascus.”
Annan launches Elders mission to Iran
AFP: Former UN chief Kofi Annan, head of a group of ex-global leaders known as the Elders, Sunday started a visit aimed at boosting dialogue between Iran and the international community, media reported.
Iran says no need for UN watchdog office in Tehran
AFP: A senior Iranian official Saturday dismissed the need for a Tehran office for UN inspectors tasked with monitoring Iran’s partial nuclear freeze, Mehr news agency said.
Jack Straw under fire for his appeasement of ayatollahs in Iran
NewsBlaze: The Foreign Office and Parliament should not accept Mr Straw’s apparently limited concern for the murderous mullahs. Amnesty International said on 17 January Iran had carried out 40 executions since the beginning of 2014, with at least 33 carried out in one week alone.
Iran: Ex-leader’s daughter gets suspended sentence
AP: An Iranian news agency is reporting that the daughter of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has received a six-month suspended prison sentence on charges of slandering top officials.
