Iran

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Could Iran Be Brought to Its Knees by ... Insurance?

European insurance sanction will be the toughest to dodge, Reuters says

(Newser) - Could the decisive blow in the West's struggle with Iran involve insurance salesmen? An upcoming European ban on providing maritime insurance for Iran's oil tankers may be the most vexing sanction Tehran has ever faced, experts tell Reuters . That's because 90% of the world's tanker insurance...

1st Iran Nuke Talks 'Constructive'

Catherine Ashton sees 'sustained process of dialog'

(Newser) - Negotiators on all sides are saying nice things after Iran and six world powers began nuclear talks with a meeting in Istanbul today, the New York Times reports. The discussion was "useful and constructive," said European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, leader of the talks. “We...

Rocket Failure? Kim Jong Un Still Promoted

And North Korea re-confirms 'military-first' policy

(Newser) - If at first you don't succeed, bomb, bomb again. In the wake of its failed rocket launch , North Korea is doubling down on its "military-first" policy, promoting 20-something Kim Jong Un to first secretary of the powerful National Defense Commission—that officially makes him the country's leader,...

Why This Time, Iranian Talks Might Actually Work

Talks kick off tomorrow in Istanbul

(Newser) - Iran usually uses "negotiations" over its nuclear program to complain about the US and the West in general, but things might actually be different when talks kick off tomorrow in Istanbul. This time, Iran might actually be willing to talk, thanks to the crippling sanctions it's laboring under,...

Kofi Annan Asks Iran for Help With Syria

UN envoy says he still thinks ceasefire will somehow work

(Newser) - Kofi Annan isn't panicking just because the Syrian regime blew off yesterday's ceasefire deadline . Annan says Bashar al-Assad's regime has assured him that it will respect the ceasefire plan and end hostilities tomorrow morning, the BBC reports. "If everyone respects it, I think by six in...

Günther Grass Barred From Israel Over Poem

German author banned after new poem lashes Jewish state

(Newser) - Controversial German author Günther Grass has been barred from Israel for a new poem sharply criticizing the Jewish state for its secretive nuclear program and its belligerent position on Iran. "If Günther wants to spread his twisted and lying works, I suggest he does this from Iran,...

Iraq's 'King of Clubs' Appears Online

Former deputy to Saddam Hussein rails against Shiites, Iran

(Newser) - He was the king of clubs. Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the highest-ranking member of Saddam Hussein's government still at large, appears to have turned up in an online video posted yesterday, railing against Iraq's government, reports the AP . In the hour-long video, which appears on a website linked to...

Iran Tried to Stir Anti-US Violence After Koran Mess

Its efforts to make trouble in Afghanistan largely failed

(Newser) - As if the situation in Afghanistan isn't messy enough, American officials today revealed that Iran tried to stir the pot. Tehran apparently jumped on the news that US troops had burned Korans at Bagram in late February, ordering agents stationed in the country to try to spur on violent...

Obama Clears Way for Sanctions on Iran

President says world market has enough oil to enact restrictions

(Newser) - President Obama today greenlighted sanctions designed to choke Iran's oil industry and pressure Tehran into giving up its nuclear ambitions. The decision comes after the White House established that there's enough crude oil in world markets to keep American allies steady if they reduce imports from Iran, reports...

Syria Sells Oil to China—Thanks to Iran

Meanwhile, Annan has message for Assad: Cease-fire, now

(Newser) - With the West united against the Syrian government and implementing a series of punishing sanctions, it's Iran and China to the rescue—as Chinese state-run firm Zhuhai Zhenrong bought an estimated $84 million in crude oil, and Iran supplied the boat to transport it, reports Reuters . The Malta-flagged vessel...

Iran: Nuke Talks Resume April 13

Ali Akbar Salehi gives likely date

(Newser) - As expected , nuclear talks between Iran and world powers will resume, likely on April 13. Iranian media quoted Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi giving the likely date today; he also noted that Turkey is willing to host the talks and Iran is "considering it" and will reply soon....

US World's No. 5 Executioner: Amnesty

Executions surge in Middle East

(Newser) - Fewer countries than ever are executing people, but those countries are doing so with gusto, according to a new report from Amnesty International. Just 20 nations still use the death penalty. The US executed 43 people last year, making it 5th globally, and the only Western democracy on the list,...

Obama Ready to Cut Nukes Again

President issues nuclear warnings to North Korea, Iran

(Newser) - President Obama still thinks we could stand to get rid of a bunch of our nukes, and has promised a renewed effort to cut American and Russian nuclear arsenals following 2010's START treaty . "We can already say with confidence that we have more nuclear weapons than we need,...

Bomb Iran? It&#39;s No Debate at All

 Bomb Iran? 
 It's No Debate at All 
Nicholas Kristof
Mar 25, 2012 7:55 AM CDT

Bomb Iran? It's No Debate at All

All credible experts agree striking Iran very bad idea, says Kristof

(Newser) - You might think from newspaper editorials and Sunday morning talk shows that a debate was raging over whether Israel should strike Iran's nuclear facilities. In fact, there is not—no credible security expert thinks it is a good idea, writes Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times . “Unless...

'Hundreds' of Hezbollah Agents in US: Peter King

And they've been trained as terrorists by Iran, Homeland Security chair says

(Newser) - The US is crawling with Hezbollah agents, many of whom have been trained as terrorists, Rep. Peter King said in a CNN appearance today. "The American intelligence community … believes we are very much at risk for an attack by Iranian operatives, which would be Hezbollah," King said,...

5 Questions to Ask Before Starting a War

Bill Keller offers lessons from Iraq

(Newser) - As the drum-beating grows louder on Iran and Syria, Bill Keller looks back on Iraq and beyond. To avoid a debacle, there are five questions we should ask ourselves before entering a war, he writes in the New York Times :
  1. "How is this our fight?" Are American interests directly
...

Middle East Quartet Meets as Gaza Toll Hits 23

Iran condemns Israel's 'war crimes'

(Newser) - With 23 Palestinians now dead in the latest Gaza conflict , the Middle East Quartet is meeting for the first time in six months in New York. Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and EU diplomat Baroness Ashton will discuss the growing violence after Israeli air...

Ahmadinejad: We Don't Give a Damn About West's Bombs

Iran's president also takes aim at Israel and its supporters

(Newser) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at the West today in a televised speech, saying "the Iranian nation will not give a damn for [your] bombs, warships, and planes." Taking an apparent shot at President Obama, he added, "They say all [options] are on the table. Well,...

Ex-Mossad Chief Calls Attacking Iran 'Stupid'

Iranian regime is 'rational,' just not 'our rational,' says ex-Israeli intel head

(Newser) - Attacking Iran would be a big mistake, because the regime is rational enough to deal with, according to former Mossad chief Meir Dagan. In an excerpt of an interview with 60 Minutes to air on Sunday and posted online today, the ex-Israeli intelligence head stands by an earlier quote that...

Ayatollah Praises Obama Peace Remarks

But he's not happy about threat of more Iran sanctions

(Newser) - Iran's supreme religious leader had some rare words of praise for the US yesterday. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said he welcomed President Obama's efforts to cool down "casual" talk of war with Iran , reports the Christian Science Monitor . "This talk is good talk, and shows an exit...

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