Iran

On the eve of his visit to the US next week, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been pushing parliament to cut $40 billion in government subsidies. As Iran braces for fresh United Nations sanctions over its controversial nuclear program as well as a possible rise in inflation rates, the president seeks to convert the subsidy money into a slush fund with little government oversight.

Turkey and Brazil are trying to revive a stalled atomic fuel deal with Iran in an attempt to help the Islamic Republic avoid new U.N. sanctions over its nuclear program, Western diplomats said on Friday.

Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said Friday that progress has been made toward drafting tough new sanctions against Iran but declined to predict when they would be imposed.

The United States and its allies will work “as long as it takes” to agree on new U.N. sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations said on Friday.

Iran will “cut off Israel’s feet” if the Jewish state attacks Damascus, Iranian Vice President Mohammad Rida Rahimi vowed on Friday at the end of a two-day visit to key regional ally Syria.

EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton Friday pressed China for a dual-track strategy on Iran involving dialogue and the threat of sanctions.

European talks with Chinese leaders over Iran have moved toward how to target sanctions rather than whether they should be applied at all, the European Union said on Friday.

The European Union’s foreign affairs chief said Friday that China is willing to discuss sanctions on Iran as long as they are carefully targeted and bolster efforts to curb the Iranian nuclear program.

The Obama administration Thursday warned Iran and Syria that America’s commitment to Israel’s security is unshakable and that they should understand the consequences of threats to the Jewish state.

European talks with Chinese leaders over Iran have moved to the issue of how to target sanctions and away from whether sanctions should be applied at all, the European Union’s foreign affairs chief said on Friday.