West wary of Iran’s deal to ship uranium to Turkey

“Iran has a history of forging a deal and then going back on it,”

By DAVID E. SANGER and MICHAEL SLACKMAN

The New York Times

WASHINGTON — The United States, Europe and Russia responded with skepticism to Iran’s announcement Monday that it had reached an agreement to ship roughly half of its nuclear fuel to Turkey, saying they would continue to press for new sanctions against Iran to curb its nuclear development, which the United States says is aimed at developing weapons.Silva_Ardogan_Ahmedinejad

Relatives of Kurds Executed in Iran Are Denied the Remains, and 2 Are Arrested

“The government’s refusal to hand over the bodies to the families appears to stem from a fear of antigovernment demonstrations during burial ceremonies in Kurdish areas. Ethnic Kurds have come under increasing pressure since the large-scale protests last summer against the nation’s disputed elections, and at least two other Kurdish activists were executed late last year.”Kurdish_poelpe_i_Iran

Springtime for Iran

“Hand in hand with its proxies in the INA, Iran has successfully stymied the development of a strong nationalist government in Baghdad for at least another four years — the ultimate payoff for its virtuoso performance in manipulating Iraqi politics.”Alawi__Maliki