The Latest from Iran (12 June): Three Years Ago Today

See also Remember Iran: An EA Special
Remember Iran: A Day That Changed the Country, the Region, and the Media
Iran Feature: The Week in Civil Society --- From Political Prisoners in Danger to Pepsi's Logo on the Moon
Remember Iran: A Preview of the Presidential Election (11 June 2009)
Remember Iran Flashback: "How Not to Cover Iran's Elections --- The Awards Ceremony" (12 June 2009)
The Latest from Iran (11 June): A Fraud Case Reaches the Government

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Photo: AFP/Getty1940 GMT: Economy Watch. The World Bank has projected that Iran’s economy will shrink 1% this year.

“Product boycotts and financial sanctions are expected to exact a toll on growth over 2012 and 2013,” the Bank said in a report published Tuesday. It predicted a further contraction of 0.7% next year.

1900 GMT: The Oil Squeeze. In a further sign of a strategy moving Turkey away from imports of Iranian oil, Ankara has begun discussions with Saudi Arabia on long-term crude purchases.

Minister of Energy Taner Yildiz said today, "Talks with Saudi Arabia on long-term crude oil purchases have started. This doesn't concern only [Turkish refiner] Tupras but also concerns Saudi Arabia's Aramco. Talks are still going on; they will discuss the quantities between them."

On Monday, the US said it would exempt Turkey from financial sanctions because it has cut purchases of Tehran's oil. A report this week indicated that Turkish imports fell 45% between March and May.

A US diplomat indicated that Washington granted the waiver with the expectation of further cuts, "So Turkey now has 180 days, Tupras has 180 days to take a look at its oil situation to decide - can it reduce further, can it get to zero? - what it needs to do."

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The Latest from Iran (9 June): Spiralling to a Nuclear Breakdown

See also Iran Interview: Rapper Shahin Najafi on His Music, the "Death Fatwa"...and Kurt Cobain
The Latest from Iran (8 June): Preparing for the Fallout

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2032 GMT: CyberWatch. Iranian police have claimed that computer experts have tracked an April cyber-attack on Ministry of Oil computers to two IP addresses in the US.

Police General Seyed Kamal Hadianfar said the US should disclose the identities of the two IPs to Iran so that the country can identify those who have embarked on the act of sabotage and file a lawsuit against them.

1649 GMT: Economy Watch. A sign of nerves that the nuclear talks are collapsing? The Tehran Stock Exchange has fallen 270 points today to 26365.

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The Latest from Iran (5 January): Shaky Currency, Desperate Measures, and An Outright Lie

See also Iran Feature: Is Ahmadinejad's Government Fuelling the Currency Crisis?
The Latest from Iran (4 January): If You Yell Victory, Does It Count?

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Tehran Times: All is Well2110 GMT: Ahmadinejad Watch. Pro-Ahmadinejad State news agency strikes a very different note on the visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (see 2100 GMT). Forget all the chatter about nuclear talks; IRNA's concern is the President's declaration on "the need for vigilance against the intrigues of the enemies of humanity".

2100 GMT: Foreign Affairs (Turkish Front). Back from a break to look through reports of today's meetings in Tehran between Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Iranian officials, including President Ahmadinejad and Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi....

Davutoğlu's headline announcement was that he had delivered a "Western" offer to resume talks on Iran's nuclear programme and that Salehi had accepted: "We are waiting for a good result coming out of the willingness of the two parties to go back to the negotiating table."

Salehi confirmed that Iran was ready to return to talks "at a time and place agreed by both sides".

However, a European official said Iran had still yet to formally accept a new meeting in writing: "We still await [Iran's] response to [European Union High Representative Catherine] Ashton's letter of October. We are open to talks on confidence-building measures without preconditions....But it's up to Iran to respond in writing."

Iranian media such as ISNA and Press TV are highlighting Salehi's declaration that Iran is "ready for negotiation".

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Iran Feature: Stumbling and Stalemate over Sanctions (Mills)b

Nikahang Kowsar on the Supreme Leader, President Obama, and US-led Sanctions

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As the country that gave the world chess, it is only appropriate that Iran's current sanctions standoff with the United States resembles a game between two inept players. Tehran repeatedly makes bad moves; Washington plays better but has no path to checkmate.

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