- Reports by the Wall Street Journal reveal that Mr. Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, sent a secret letter to President Obama seeking to improve ties between the two nations. The string communications between the two leaders date back to early 2009, the start of Barack Obama’s first term.
- During a press conference with Angela Merkel, President Obama stated that there was no reason to extend nuclear talks with Iran once again, stressing the question now is whether Tehran truly wants an agreement. Negotiators must reach a political consensus by March 31 and then a final deal setting out the agreement in technical detail by June 30, 2015. Obama also highlighted “very real differences with Netanyahu” and the U.S. Congress over imposing additional sanctions on Iran.
- Newly declassified US government documents reveal General Huyser’s secret mission to Tehran and the Carter administration’s hesitant plans for a military coup in pre-revolution Iran.
- Jim Slattery, a former Democratic Congressman from Kansas, visited Iran in December. It was the first time since the 1979 revolution that an American lawmaker visited Iran, at least publicly.
- Syrian rebels fighting against the Syrian army, Hezbollah, and Iranian resources, have asked Israel to bomb Hezbollah-Iran-Syria positions.
- Following the death of Alberto Nisman, a new prosecutor has taken the next step in bringing formal charges against President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for allegedly trying to cover up Iran's role in the attack.
- Despite Mohammad Javad Zarif’s statements that he is uncomfortable with the detention of Mr. Jason Rezaian, the Washington Post’s correspondent, Mr. Rezaian remains in detention, uninformed of the charges against him, and denied the right to meet with an attorney. Mr. Rezaian, a California native, has been unjustly held for 206 days. Read more about this case here. In statements to the Fars News Agency Hamid Resaei, arch-conservative member of Iran’s parliament clarified that there is an ongoing “espionage case” against Mr. Rezaian and his wife.
- The University of Massachusetts Amherst told students this week that it will no longer accept Iranian nationals into graduate programs in chemical, computer, and mechanical engineering or the natural sciences, to avoid violating US sanctions against Iran. While the move caught the U.S. Department of State off guard, the university claims that the new policy is based on a 2012 federal law, that declares Iranian citizens ineligible for US visas if they seek higher education in preparation for careers in Iran’s energy sector or any field related to nuclear power.
- Last week I briefly touched on the statements of Mr. Issa Kalantari, the chairman of the working committee to save Lake Urmia, who stated that nearly 600 lakes in Iran are drying up. This week, CNN and documentary photographer Meysam Mir Zendehdel, highlighted the Death of Iran’s “Dead Sea,” Lake Urmia.
- After Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif admitted that he often raised his voice during meetings with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry - sometimes so much their bodyguards would enter the room to make sure everything was all right – Iranian Supreme Leader told him to control his temper during nuclear talks with Western diplomats, Iranian media reported Saturday.
- Mr. Jafar Panahi's "Taxi," won the Golden Bear for best film on Saturday at the Berlin International Film Festival.
- The Economist published an interest piece about a satirist who mocks Iran’s ayatollahs.