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TOP STORIES
Iran has told the U.N. nuclear watchdog that it will
increase its nuclear enrichment capacity within the limits set by the
2015 agreement with world powers... Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei had ordered the increase in a speech Monday, in which he
vowed that the country would preserve its nuclear program despite the
U.S. withdrawal from the landmark 2015 accord.
Iran has begun working on infrastructure for building
advanced centrifuges at its Natanz facility, Ali Akbar Salehi, the
director of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said on Tuesday.
Peugeot owner PSA has become the latest French company
to signal it will pull out of Iran if it cannot get bulletproof
protection from potential US sanctions... Although PSA is not
currently in the US, chief executive Carlos Tavares recently detailed
plans to return to the US market after an absence of more than two
decades.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Israel's intelligence minister called Tuesday for a
military coalition against Iran if the Islamic Republic were to defy
world powers by enriching military-grade uranium.
Israel has granted European spymasters access to parts
of the secret Iranian nuclear files spirited by Mossad from Tehran
ahead of a visit by Benjamin Netanyahu to Germany, France and Britain
this week.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran has awarded its first cargo of West Karoun oil to
Spain's Repsol, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday,
indicating that Tehran is keen to boost its oil exports despite the
looming threat of sanctions.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Iran's top leader says anyone who fires one missile at
his country "will be hit by 10" in response, but dismisses
fears of war as "propaganda" by the West.
SYRIA, RUSSIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Moscow confirmed on Monday that its jets would not
provide air coverage to Syrian regime forces [and Hezbollah] in their
"southern battle," if Iranian-linked militias are allowed
to participate in it.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Despite not having a union, truck drivers in Iran have
staged a nationwide strike for almost two weeks now. Unprecedented in
terms of geographical spread, the protest showcases not only the
growing solidarity of unorganized groups, but also the changing face
of social unrest in Iran.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
The U.N. Yemen mediator is in talks with the Houthi
movement to hand over control of Hodeidah port to the United Nations
in an attempt to avert a possible assault on the city by a Saudi-led
coalition, Yemeni political sources said. Martin Griffiths arrived in
the Houthi-held capital Sanaa on Saturday as coalition-backed troops
moved to within 10 km (6.21 miles) of the Red Sea port, long a key
target in the war, according to local military officials, who said
the advance had paused in the last few days.
It's been a year since three of Qatar's neighbors plus
Egypt severed ties with the Gulf state, cut off exports, expelled
their citizens and banned Qatari flights from using their airports
and airspace. The tiny country has weathered the storm by drawing
from its substantial cash reserves, deepening alliances with Turkey
and Iran, and using its strategic location in the Persian Gulf as the
world's largest producer of liquefied natural gas to continue
shipments to major world powers.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday
lashed out at Israel, calling the Jewish state the "cancerous
tumor" of the region that must be "removed and
eradicated"... Khamenei has previously branded Israel as
"barbaric," "infanticidal," and the
"sinister, unclean rabid dog of the region." More recently,
he blamed "Zionists" for the anti-government demonstrations
held across Iran earlier this year.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Iran's activities across the Middle East threaten to
drive another wave of refugees to Europe, Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said after talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
on Monday.
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