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Heavyweights heat up Iran presidential race

Agence France-PresseMay 12, 2013 21:25
The race for Iran's highest elected office was revitalised on Saturday when former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili officially registered for the June 14 election. Rafsanjani, who was president between 1989 and 1997, registered at the interior ministry in the closing minutes of the five-day registration process for the presidential vote which wrapped up on Saturday. The final line-up of candidates will not be known until later this month when the Guardians Council releases the approved list of names after the vetting process.

US military involvement in Syria a 'mistake'

Agence France-PresseMay 12, 2013 11:46
Former US defense secretary Robert Gates warned Sunday that deepening US military involvement in Syria's civil war would be a "mistake," warning the outcome would be unpredictable and messy. In an interview with CBS's "Face the Nation," Gates also said he saw "no good outcomes" in dealing with Iran's nuclear program and warned that a full US withdrawal from Afghanistan would be "a disastrous mistake."

Heavyweights heat up Iran presidential race

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 14:30
The race for Iran's highest elected office was revitalised on Saturday when former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili officially registered for the June 14 election. Rafsanjani, who was president between 1989 and 1997, registered at the interior ministry in the closing minutes of the five-day registration process for the presidential vote which wrapped up on Saturday. The final line-up of candidates will not be known until later this month when the Guardians Council releases the approved list of names after the vetting process.

Iran's nuclear negotiator now eyes the presidency

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 13:30
Saeed Jalili, Iran's hardline nuclear negotiator who on Saturday entered the presidential race unexpectedly, became an instant favourite because of his close allegiance to all-powerful supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Jalili is known for his tough stance in talks between Iran's nuclear team and world powers over Tehran's controversial atomic activities, which the West fears are aimed at developing a military capability -- a claim denied by the Islamic republic.

Iran nuclear negotiator enters presidential race

Agence France-PresseMay 11, 2013 10:30
Iran's top nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili on Saturday registered to stand in the June 14 presidential election, joining several conservative hopefuls aiming to succeed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Jalili, 47, filed his papers at the interior ministry but did not speak to reporters, an AFP correspondent said. A veteran of the 1980s war with Iraq in which he lost his right leg, Jalili had previously not expressed an intention to seek office.

U.S. blacklists firms for evading Iran oil sale sanctions

May 10, 2013 19:30
By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has blacklisted two companies it says helped Iran evade sanctions on oil sales and slapped penalties on four Tehran-based firms it says helped the Islamic Republic enrich uranium, the latest efforts to pressure Iran's nuclear program. "As long as Iran tries to evade our sanctions, we will continue to expose their deceptive maneuvers," David Cohen, the undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department said in a news release.

Ottawa turns to digital diplomacy to reach Iran ahead of June elections

The Canadian PressMay 10, 2013 09:30
OTTAWA - Canada is seeking to restore diplomatic relations with Iran — but not the old-fashioned way. Instead of ambassadors and attaches, the Foreign Affairs Department is aiming to connect with Iranians directly, via social media. They're working with the University of Toronto's Munk School to host two days of discussions that will be live-streamed online in the hopes of reaching and inspiring Iranians ahead of June's presidential elections.

Senators seek to block Iran from billion-dollar reserves

May 9, 2013 05:31
By Timothy Gardner and Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators on Wednesday would block Iran's access to billions of dollars worth of foreign currency reserves in the latest congressional effort to slow development of the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program. Lawmakers in Washington say the government in Tehran taps the reserves held in banks around the world, mostly in euros, to get around U.S. and EU sanctions on oil sales that have damaged Iran's economy.

U.S. calls for shutting down Iran, North Korea arms networks

May 7, 2013 14:06
By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday that Iran and North Korea were trying to obtain high-tech materials linked to their nuclear programs in violation of U.N. sanctions. Iran was also sending weapons and ammunition to Syrian government forces despite a ban, said Thomas Countryman, Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation.

Iran presidency candidates to step forward, finally

May 7, 2013 11:08
By Marcus George and Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Few Iranian presidential elections have been so unpredictable but the next few days will at least narrow down who will stand in the ballot on June 14, for which candidate registration starts on Tuesday and ends on Saturday.
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