The Latest from Iran (19 February): "The Islamic Republic Does Not Need a Supreme Leader"

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The Latest from Iran (18 February): The Issue is the Economy

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2042 GMT: All-Is-Well Alert. Minister of Economy Shamseddin Hosseini announced today that the economy grew 5.8% in the Iranian year ending 20 March 2011.

Hosseini said growth was 6.1% excluding the oil sector.

The Central Bank of Iran had previously announced that economic growth for 2010/11 was 3.5% including the oil sector, and 4.3% excluding the oil sector.

No explanation is given as to why Hosseini was putting out figures almost a year old, rather than more recent data on the economy.

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The Latest from Iran (17 May): Reacting to Ahmadinejad

2025 GMT: Sanctions Watch. US authorities have added another Iranian state-owned bank to its sanctions list.

The US Treasury claims Iran's Bank of Industry and Mines, the 21st to be listed by Washington, is handling transactions on behalf of two previously sanctioned institutions, Bank Mellat and Europaesch-Iranische Handelsbank.

2010 GMT: Execution Watch. Iran’s Supreme Court has approved the death sentence for Habibollah Latifi, according to his family.

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The Latest from Iran (14 May): Say Uncle! (Again)

1925 GMT: Syria Watch. Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of Parliament's National Security Council, has said Iran is supporting the Assad regime because Damascus is backing the opposition to Israel’s occupation of Arab lands: “Syria is providing great assistance to resistance, therefore the position that we have taken is very natural.”

1915 GMT: The Next Wave of Attacks (cont.). Uskowi adds weight to our interpretation in the previous entry, pointing to Ahmad Tavakoli's criticism of Ahmadinejad's Ministerial dismissals (see 1305 GMT) as unduly hurried, sending a message of political “instability” and his specific denunciation of “that famous, deviationist and problematic character” --- read the President's Chief of Staff, Esfandiar Rahim-Mashai --- as the instigator of the latest move.

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