Top Stories
WP: "The Iranian nuclear scientist who claimed to have
been abducted by the CIA before departing for his homeland Wednesday was paid
more than $5 million by the agency to provide intelligence on Iran's nuclear
program, U.S. officials said." http://bit.ly/9n9blu
NYT: "Russia's energy minister announced a broad program
of cooperation with Iran in the oil, natural gas and petrochemical industries
on Wednesday that appeared to invite Russian companies to contravene sanctions
the Obama administration adopted just two weeks ago." http://nyti.ms/93ENB7
Bloomberg: "Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki
said that talks between his country and the world powers on a plan to supply
fuel for a Tehran nuclear reactor should start around late September. Iran has said it is ready for negotiations
with the five veto-holding members of the United Nations Security Council plus
Germany on a deal brokered by Turkey and Brazil in May." http://bit.ly/axNHN8
Nuclear Program
AFP: "Iran should be dealing 'constructively' with the UN
nuclear watchdog and leading world powers regarding its controversial nuclear
program, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday. 'At this stage, the primary focus should be
on Iran engaging constructively the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)
and the P5+1,' Philip Crowley said when asked about Turkey's mediating efforts
in the matter." http://bit.ly/aHrJdk
Reuters: "The European Union has told Iran in a letter
that it welcomes a proposal to resume dialogue as early as September but says
talks must focus on Tehran's nuclear program. The letter, seen by Reuters, was sent by EU foreign affairs chief
Catherine Ashton in response to a letter on July 6 from Saeed Jalili, Iran's
chief nuclear negotiator, calling for a resumption of talks." http://bit.ly/9VCuMO
Reuters: "An Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities
would start a long war and probably not prevent Iran from eventually acquiring
nuclear weapons, a think-tank said on Thursday. The Oxford Research Group, which promotes non-violent solutions to
conflict, said military action should be ruled out as a response to Iran's
possible nuclear weapons ambitions." http://bit.ly/bII89l
Commerce
Radio Farda: "Tehran's stock exchange index, the TEPIX,
hit a record high on July 14, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. The TEPIX closed at 15,080, up half a
percentage point. Paris-based economist
Fereidoun Khavand downplayed the significance of the milestone. He told Radio
Farda that the Tehran stock market is not an accurate 'thermometer' of the
health of Iran's economy." http://bit.ly/9WGOSy
Radio Farda: "Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's
chief of staff has blamed an Uzbek rail blockade for delaying the completion of
a hydroelectric plant in southern Tajikistan that Iran is helping to build,
RFE/RL's Tajik Service reports." http://bit.ly/bBVQD8
Human Rights
Radio Farda: "Yes, coming to an Iranian barber shop near
you... Ali Abedi, the secretary of the Hijab and Chastity conference held in
Tehran, has said that the country's newly approved men's hairstyles are to be
named after Iranian cities and provinces. 'For example one hairstyle can be named, 'the Shiraz hairstyle,'' Abedi
was quoted as saying by Iranian news websites. Apparently, naming the
hairstyles will make it easier for customers to tell the barber which state-sanctioned
haircut they want." http://bit.ly/deD96J
Domestic Politics
Radio Farda: "Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani has
received support from religious figures in the holy city of Qom, RFE/RL's Radio
Farda reports. The statements this
weekend in favor of Larijani came in response to earlier verbal attacks against
him. Larijani, a parliament deputy from Qom, had faced calls for his
resignation as speaker 10 days ago from other conservative factions." http://bit.ly/d31qPw
Opinion
Simon Tisdall in The Guardian: "Barack Obama expressed
confidence last week that Israel would not attack Iran without first consulting
him. 'It is unacceptable for Iran to possess nuclear weapons and we are going
to do everything we can to prevent that happening,' Obama told Israel's Channel
2 television. 'I think the relationship between the US and Israel is
sufficiently strong that neither of us try to surprise each other.' But Obama
left a lot unsaid. He did not say he would oppose or try to block future
Israeli air strikes on Iran's nuclear plants - only that he expected to hear
about them in advance." http://bit.ly/94VWvF
Eli Lake in The New Republic: "However, the biggest
payoff from these efforts may not come from the sabotage itself, but from the
psychological effect it could have on Iran's government. At the most general
level, there are probably benefits to keeping Iranian intelligence officials
paranoid and off-balance, simply because it can cause them to waste valuable
time and resources. This appears to be happening. In 2007, for example, Iran's
state-run news service reported that the national police had arrested a cell of
spy squirrels. The next year, Iran reportedly arrested a group of spy pigeons."
http://bit.ly/cNkzmG
Barbara Slavin in The Asia Times: "Last year's Iranian
political demonstrations have given way to economic protests that could prove
more worrisome for the Tehran government. The unrest includes the first
prolonged strike in the Tehran bazaar and protests by industrial workers who have
gone unpaid for months. While these
incidents are not directly related to the latest round of United Nations,
United States and European penalties against Iran - and do not appear to have
been coordinated with the opposition Green movement - the new sanctions
contribute to a climate of uncertainty that is undermining the Iranian economy
and rattling Iran's leaders." http://bit.ly/cGkM9R
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