Iran news headlines on Monday include IRGC Commander statements on decoding data from US RQ-170 drone, South Korean cutting down Iran crude oil imports 20 percent, manufacturing companies facing financial crisis due to sanctions, Pakistan’s president canceling Iran gas pipeline talks, deporting Iranian diplomat from Azerbaijan and Iran's Foreign Minister expressing hope for resolving Syrian crisis.
Iran: Data decoded from CIA drone captured in 2011
Iran says the country's Revolutionary Guard has decoded all of the data from an advanced CIA spy drone captured last year. Tehran has previously said it recovered information from the RQ-170 Sentinel craft, but Monday's announcement on state-run Press TV suggests technicians may have broken encryptions.
South Korea to cut Iran crude imports 20 percent
South Korean refiners will cut imports of Iranian crude during the six months to May by about a fifth from a year earlier, to avoid sanctions by Washington, government and industry sources told Reuters on Monday. Last week the United States granted 180-day waivers on Iran sanctions to China, India, South Korea and some other countries after they cut oil purchases from the Islamic Republic.
Sanctions hit Iranian manufacturing hard
A conservative Iranian news website says the number of manufacturing companies in the country facing financial crisis has increased four-fold over the past four years to nearly 1,600. The Monday report by tasnimnews.com reflects the impact of Western sanctions against Iran over its disputed nuclear program. The website says the report has been drawn up by a government department but didn't elaborate.
Zardari cancels Iran gas pipeline talks
A planned visit to Tehran by Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan’s president, to seal a $1.5bn gas pipeline deal to alleviate the country’s critical energy shortage was unexpectedly cancelled at the weekend amid mounting US objections to the contract.
Iranian diplomat deported from Azerbaijan
An official of the Cultural Center of Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan has been deported from the country, Iranian news website Qafqaz.ir reported. Despite the fact that the Iranian diplomat had an official passport and three months visa from the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran, he was deported from Azerbaijan from Astara Customs House while returning from leave, said the Iranian website.
 Iran hopes for restoration of peace in Syria: FM
Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi expressed hope that the ongoing crisis in Syria would soon be resolved and peace and security would be restored in the Arab country, Press TV reported on Monday.

 

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