News Archive - 13 March 2013

Mirshad Majedi میرشاد ماجدی

By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - The family of a former U.S. Marine detained in Iran for 19 months is calling for his release, saying he has suffered in solitary confinement and his cancer-stricken father needs him. Iranian-American Amir Hekmati, 29, was arrested in August 2011, his family says,...

>HAMBURG, March 13 (Reuters) - Iran's state grain buyer has been in talks with export houses aimed at buying around 110,000 tonnes of U.S.-origin milling wheat, traders said, even as the United States and Europe impose toughened sanctions to stem Tehran's nuclear programme.Iranian wheat imports are traditionally...

By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - An "unholy alliance" of Iran , Russia, the Vatican and others is threatening to derail a U.N. declaration urging an end to violence against women and girls by objecting to language on sexual, reproductive and gay rights, some U.N. diplomats said...

>WASHINGTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - After nearly four years of often testy relations with Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. President Barack Obama is about to try a different tack - going over the head of Israel's prime minister and appealing directly to the Israeli people. Obama's first presidential visit to Israel next week,...

TEHRAN , Iran (AP) — Iran 's vice president says the Bushehr nuclear power plant has been disconnected from the country's electricity grid because of a mechanical problem.

>UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Iran has significantly stepped up military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in recent months, solidifying its position alongside Russia as the government's lifeline in an increasingly sectarian civil war, Western diplomats said. Iranian weapons continue to pour into Syria from Iraq but also increasingly along...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States extended 180-day waivers on Iran sanctions to Japan and 10 European Union nations in exchange for their cutting purchases of the OPEC nation's crude oil, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday. "Today's determination is another example of the international community's commitment to...

The Society of Seminary Teachers and Researchers of Qom, a pro-reform religious group, weighs in on Iran 's upcoming presidential race.

>SORGHUM SALE: Private exporters reported the sale of 114,300 tonnes of grain sorghum to unknown destinations for delivery during the 2012/13 marketing year, USDA said on Wednesday.SOYOIL, SUNOIL SALE: Egyptian commodity purchasing enterprise Meditrade has bought 24,000 tonnes of soyoil and 15,000 tonnes of sunflower oil in a tender...

Struggling to maintain its place in Asia's top tier, Iranian soccer is a reflection of a country laboring under the burden of a repressive political regime and not only the economic but increasingly also the psychological effect of international isolation and punishing sanctions. The psychological wear and tear is...

News reports suggest that Iranian government officials are exploring the idea of suing the makers of “Argo,” saying the Oscar-winning film gave an unrealistic portrayal of Iran during the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran . But experts say the legal prospects of such a move are exceedingly dim,...

>* Oil demand to be depressed throughout 2013* Q2 to see heavy refinery maintenance works in Asia* Iranian oil exports may rebound in March (Updates with Asia cutting oil refining in Q2)By Dmitry Zhdannikov and Christopher JohnsonLONDON, March 13 (Reuters) - Soaring U.S. oil production should be enough to...

>"Today's determination is another example of the international community's commitment to convince Iran to meet its international obligations," Kerry said in a statement.The sanctions aim to choke funding to Tehran's nuclear program by slashing Iran's crude exports. Iran says the program is for civilian purposes. Countries in the West...

>"In June-July we should start operating," Mukhammednur Halylov told a conference in Dubai. He did not give further details.The Central Asian country plans to build two pipelines to carry gas from the field, one to Pakistan and India and the other crossing the Caspian Sea en route to the...

>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Global oil market conditions are ripe for the West to further pressure Iran over its nuclear program, but the window will likely close next year as fuel demand is expected to rise in Asia, a report to be released on Wednesday said. For most of the past...