Iran Nuclear Deal - Page 17

Report: Iran-Russia Alliance Shaky Because ‘Rouhani and Putin Don’t Get Along’

Reuters took a long look at the rocky relationship between Russia and Iran this week, noting that a stronger alliance between the two nations always seems to fall apart for one reason or another. For example, one Iranian diplomat described personality clashes between the Iranian and Russian leaders by saying, “Rouhani and Putin don’t get along that great.”

Russia Iran

Obama May Allow Foreign Governments to Use Dollars for Business with Iran

The Obama administration is reportedly considering more concessions to Iran, possibly including the Treasury Department issuing a license that would “permit offshore financial institutions to access dollars for foreign currency trades in support of legitimate business with Iran, a practice that is currently illegal,” as the Associated Press describes it.

Iran flag

Standing Tall Against Iran with Apology in Hand

More than a month after Iran captured two U.S. Navy patrol boats with ten sailors onboard January 12, there is still very little information on what transpired. Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain (Ariz-R), has given President Barack Obama an ultimatum: either provide details of an investigation by March 1 or he will subpoena the sailors to testify before Congress.

US Sailors Arrested Iranian State News

Iran Demands Oil Payments in Euros, Not U.S. Dollars

Iran’s re-entry into the oil market, following the end of sanctions over its nuclear program, will also mark the beginning of a major effort to reduce its dependency on the U.S. dollar. Not only is Iran demanding payment in euros instead of dollars for its new oil contracts, but it also wants the billions owed by its trading partners to be remitted in euros.

Reuters/Kacper Pempel

White House Pleads For Iran’s Help with Americans Kidnapped in Iraq

There are still three American citizens missing in Iraq, and the most likely culprits are Iran-backed Shiite militia. They were snatched from a private residence in Baghdad by gunmen on January 16, and there has been little progress in finding them, beyond Iraqi intelligence guessing they ended up in the Shiite precincts of Sadr City, where numerous other kidnap victims have resurfaced.

The Associated Press

Iranian Foreign Minister: We Have No ‘Fight to Pick’ with Saudis

Iranian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, went on CNN to address the growing tension between his nation and Saudi Arabia, which he described as “panicking” over reduced tensions between Iran and the Western world. During the interview, he slammed Saudi Arabia as the fountain from which terrorism flows, and lectured America for being “addicted” to sanctions.

AP Photo/Richard Drew