UANI

Did You Know? "Iran is the 18th largest (in terms of square-mileage) country in the world," according to the CIA World Factbook. http://bit.ly/8nkJJ3

Top Stories

AP: "Sloppy records make it hard to tell exactly what the United States is exporting to Iran, despite sanctions meant to ensure only humanitarian goods and no military items go there, congressional investigators say." http://bit.ly/brRoQY
 
WP: "The Obama administration is pushing to carve out an exemption for China and other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council from legislation pending in the Senate and the House that would tighten sanctions on companies doing business in Iran, administration and congressional sources said." http://bit.ly/c0R9gL
 
AFP: "A top US official said Friday Japan has 'a very critical role' to play in international efforts to limit Iran's nuclear ambitions as the West pitches new sanctions against Tehran.  Japan -- which relies heavily on Middle Eastern oil and, unlike its chief ally the United States, maintains relatively cordial ties with Iran -- next month takes the rotating chair of the UN Security Council." http://bit.ly/9SXKRo
 

Nuclear Program

CNN: "As the United States steps up its push for tough new sanctions against Iran, a top American diplomat said Thursday that hopes of a deal with Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions are fading." http://bit.ly/9iLu73
 
Politico: "Some in Congress have been agitating for the update to get the intelligence community to essentially retract the 2007 NIE's controversial claim that Iran had halted its nuclear weaponization program in 2003. European intelligence services have been saying for months that they believe there is evidence of more recent Iranian weaponization research." http://bit.ly/bvGH4q
 
Bloomberg TV: UANI President, Ambassador Mark Wallace, http://bit.ly/cByePl

Human Rights

AFP: "Iranian authorities have freed 14 people arrested at award-winning filmmaker Jafar Panahi's home but the pro-opposition director remains detained, an opposition website said on Thursday." http://bit.ly/df0n9s
 
Radio Farda: "Iranian student activist Ali Kanturi has been sentenced to 15 years in jail on charges of abduction and extortion, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports.  Kanturi is a member of the left-leaning student group Freedom And Equality-Seeking Students." http://bit.ly/93FIqD

Domestic Politics

NPR: "Before his arrest last week, Abdolmalek Rigi might have been described as Iran's most wanted man.  He is the leader of Jundallah, which can be translated as 'Soldiers of God' - an armed group in southeastern Iran that is responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks on Iranian security forces in the past five years." http://bit.ly/9kT9uS

Foreign Affairs
 
Bloomberg: "Italy's ambassador to Iran was called to the Foreign Ministry in Tehran after Italian police arrested two Iranians who are accused of violating international sanctions by selling weapons to the Persian Gulf country." http://bit.ly/b3sdPY

Opinion