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Iran’s Rouhani says nuclear deal possible only if sanctions lifted: state TV

ANKARA (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday Tehran will not accept a comprehensive nuclear deal with major powers if all sanctions imposed on Tehran were not lifted, state television reported. "If there is no end to sanctions, there will not be an agreement," Rouhani said in a televised speech in the northern city of Rasht. "The end of these negotiations and a signed deal must include a declaration of cancelling the oppressive sanctions on the great nation of Iran." Rouhani also said the U.S. Congress’ power to review a nuclear deal with Iran was a domestic matter. "We are in talks with the major powers and not with the Congress," he said, adding Iran wanted to end its isolation by having "constructive interaction with the world and not confrontation". (Additional reporting by Sam Wilkin in Dubai, Writing by Parisa Hafezi; Editing by Janet Lawrence )

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Senate Panel Passes Bill on Iran Nuclear Deal; Obama Indicates He’ll Sign It

Continue reading the main story Video Play Video|0:38 Corker and Cardin on Compromise Bill Corker and Cardin on Compromise Bill Senator Bob Corker, of of the Foreign Relations Committee, discussed a bill that would allow Congress to vote on the nuclear deal being negotiated with Iran. By AP on Publish Date April 14, 2015. Photo by Stephen Crowley/The New York Times. WASHINGTON — The Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved legislation granting Congress a voice in negotiations on the Iran nuclear accord, sending the once-controversial legislation to the full Senate after President Obama withdrew his opposition rather than face a bipartisan rebuke. Republican opponents of the nuclear agreement on the committee sided with Mr. Obama’s strongest Democratic supporters in demanding a congressional role as international negotiators work to turn this month’s nuclear framework into a final deal by June 30. The bill would mandate that the administration send the […]

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Iran Oil Minister Wants OPEC to Cut Output by 5% Ahead of June Meeting

ENLARGE An oil well is seen near Denver, Colo. Oil prices have fallen sharply amid a global supply glut, with the OPEC cartel refusing to cut production. Photo: Reuters Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zangeneh on Tuesday called on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to reduce production by at least 5% to boost prices that have collapsed since last summer, signaling the possibility of another tense meeting when the organization gathers in June. OPEC has been pumping more than 30 million barrels a day since December, when the cartel decided against cutting production in the face of precipitously falling crude prices. Led by Saudi Arabia, and over the objections of countries such as Iran, Iraq and Venezuela, the cartel agreed to keep production high so that countries could protect their market share. “Even the most conservative OPEC member states do not believe that OPEC production should exceed […]

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Make room, Iran tells OPEC

Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh calls on fellow OPEC members to make room for the eventual market return of Iranian crude oil. File photo by Maryam Rahmanian/UPI TEHRAN, April 14 (UPI) — OPEC member states should self-regulate so Iran’s expected return to the oil stage won’t hurt markets, Iran’s oil minister said Tuesday from Tehran. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh said members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries should cut output in an effort to stimulate oil prices. "Even the most conservative OPEC member states do not believe that OPEC production should exceed 30 million barrels per day and we believe that this amount should be cut by at least 5 percent," he said. A November decision by OPEC to keep output steady at 30 million bpd added downward pressure to crude oil trading in an over-supplied market. Crude oil prices are down about 50 percent from their […]

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U.S. Soldiers, Back in Iraq, Find Security Forces in Disrepair

Photo American trainers spoke with Iraqi Army recruits at a military base on Sunday in Taji, Iraq. Credit John Moore/Getty Images CAMP TAJI, Iraq — Lt. Col. John Schwemmer is here for his sixth Iraq deployment. Maj. James Modlin is on his fourth. Sgt. Maj. Thomas Foos? “It’s so many, I would rather not say. Sir.” These soldiers are among 300 from the 5-73 Squadron of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army , about half of them trainers, the rest support and force protection. Stationed at this old Iraqi military base 20 miles north of Baghdad, they are as close as it gets to American boots on the ground in Iraq. Back now for the first time since the United States left in 2011 , none of them thought they would be here again, let alone return to find the Iraqi Army they had once trained […]

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IS fighters continue Baiji refinery attacks

A view of the Baiji oil refinery compound on Dec. 8, 2014. (AHMED SAAD/Reuters) Recommend 262 people recommend this. Sign Up to see what your friends recommend. The Islamic State (IS) militant group has again breached the security perimeter of the Baiji refinery after launching a fresh assault on Tuesday.IS fighters have made aggressive attacks on the facility for each of the past four days, highlighting the government’s ongoing challenge in securing territory it recently reclaimed from the control of the IS group, which is commonly referred to as "Daesh" in Arabic.The attacks on Baiji come as the government is preparing a major campaign to dis…

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Fierce clashes in Iraq as IS seizes villages near Ramadi

BAGHDAD (AP) — Fierce clashes are underway in Iraq’s western Anbar province where residents say Islamic State militants captured three villages near the provincial capital of Ramadi. The residents say the Islamic State launched an offensive at dawn Wednesday east of the city, seizing the villages Sjariyah, Albu-Ghanim and Soufiya, which had been under government control. They say fighting is now taking place on the eastern edges of Ramadi about two kilometers (mile) away from local government building. In Soufiya, the militants bombed a police station and took over a power plant. The residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity fearing for their own safety, said airstrikes are trying to back up Iraqi troops. IS was dealt a major blow this month, when Iraqi troops pushed it out of Tikrit, Saddam Hussein’s hometown.

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LNG work in Yemen halted by violence

Violence in Yemen forces liquified natural gas company to halt operations at facility at industrial port city of Balhaf. File Photo by Anees Mahyoub/UPI. SANAA, Yemen, April 14 (UPI) — Declining security in Yemen means it’s time to halt all production and start evacuating personnel, a Yemeni liquefied natural gas company said Tuesday. "Due to further degradation of the security situation in the vicinity of [the industrial port town of] Balhaf, Yemen LNG has decided to stop all LNG producing and exporting operations and start evacuation of the site personnel," the company said in a statement. The company has headquarters in the capital, Sanaa, which was seized by the Houthi rebel group earlier this year. Yemen’s recent crises stem in part from the political upheavals that grew out of the Arab Spring movements that gripped much of the Middle East and North African in 2011. A Saudi-led operation, Decisive […]

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China on Oil-Buying Spree Again

An attendant works at a gas station in Huaibei, Anhui province, in March. ENLARGE Photo: Zuma Press SINGAPORE—China is on an oil-buying spree again. So far in April, China National United Oil Corp., or Chinaoil, the trading unit of state-run China National Petroleum Corp., has bought a total of 19 tankerloads of oil for delivery in June or July, Singapore-based traders said. That is equal to 9.5 million barrels of oil, and is Chinaoil’s largest buying binge on the spot market since October, when it bought 47 cargoes, or 23.5 million barrels, a monthly record for the country. With more than half of April left, Chinaoil could surpass the October total if it keeps buying aggressively. China National Petroleum didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment late on Tuesday. Chinaoil’s purchases were made through what traders call the “e-window,” a mechanism operated by Platts, a commodities price-reporting company […]

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Nuclear Reactors in Japan Remain Closed by Judge’s Order

Photo The Takahama nuclear power station in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, in 2013. Credit Kyodo News TOKYO — Fukui Prefecture, with 13 commercial nuclear reactors clustered along a short, rugged coastline, has earned the area a reputation as a political stronghold for the atomic power industry. Nuclear-friendly politicians dominate most of Fukui’s government offices, and the region is nicknamed Genpatsu Ginza, or Nuclear Alley. Fukui has now emerged as a battleground for the Japanese government’s effort to rebuild the nuclear industry and reverse the economic impact of the reactor shutdowns. On Tuesday, a local judge blocked the latest attempt to get atomic power back on the grid, issuing an injunction forbidding the restarting of two nuclear reactors at the Takahama power plant in the region. The nuclear industry has been in a state of paralysis since the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant four years ago. None of the […]

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