Iran Focus

AFP: Iran's ancient citadel of Bam, almost completely destroyed by a major earthquake in 2003, has been removed from the UNESCO list of "World Heritage in Danger", a spokesman said.

Bloomberg: Syria’s central bank said a $1 billion credit line from Iran will help to prop up the pound, which weakened after the U.S. decided last week to arm rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.

AFP: US President Barack Obama said that Iran's election result showed the country's people wanted to back away from confrontation with the outside world but ruled out for the moment lifting economic sanctions on Tehran.

AFP: Outgoing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was on Monday summonsed to appear before the criminal court following a complaint lodged by parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani, the government website announced.

Fox News: Iran reportedly is preparing to send 4,000 Revolutionary Guard soldiers to Syria to defend President Bashar Assad's regime, as the United States intends to supply rebels with small arms through a CIA-run program.

AFP: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday congratulated Hassan Rowhani on his victory in Iran's presidential election and urged him to forge closer ties with Moscow.

Iran Focus: Hundreds of Tehranis, mostly young people, staged a march from the capital’s Yousef-abad district to Vanak square, in north Tehran around midnight. They were chanting, "free all political prisoners",“Neda Agha Soltan, the lady of Iran, your path is continuing,” and “don’t be afraid, we are all together”.

AFP: The United States said Saturday it is prepared to engage Iran directly over its disputed nuclear program after moderate cleric Hassan Rowhani was declared the country's new president.

AFP: Britain on Saturday called on Hassan Rowhani to take Iran on a "different course" following his victory in the country's presidential election.

Reuters: Iran's enemies and friends responded to the election of Hassan Rohani as its next president with a little hope, but more skepticism, that the moderate cleric can close the rift between Tehran and much of the world.

AP: Iran's reformist-backed presidential candidate surged to a wide lead in early vote counting Saturday, a top official said, suggesting a flurry of late support could have swayed a race that once appeared solidly in the hands of Tehran's ruling clerics.

Reuters: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged a large turnout in presidential elections on Friday, and said he did not "give a damn" about U.S. suggestions that the ballot was unfair.

AFP: Iran chooses a new president Friday in an election the reformists hope their sole candidate will win in the face of divided conservative ranks, four years after the disputed re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Scoop: Ahead of major international gathering of Iranians in Paris on June 22, 'Onward to Freedom', British lawmakers back Iranian Resistance and express 'deep concern' for dissidents in Iraq.

AFP: Calling Iran's presidential election a "sham," Canada's top diplomat urged Iranians Thursday to "make their voices heard" by casting protest ballots, boycotting the vote or using satire to express criticism.

AFP: The social networking websites which helped mobilise anti-regime protests in 2009 are buzzing again -- this time urging Iranians to be sure to vote on Friday when Iran elects a new president.

Reuters: Campaigning in Iran's presidential election ended on Thursday, a day before the vote in which the sole moderate candidate has an outside chance of stealing victory from his hardline rivals.

AFP: The ministry said at the time that the group had links with neighbouring Iran and was planning attacks on the concert hall where Eurovision was held, police buildings, hotels used by foreigners, mosques and other religious sites in the Caucasus state.