Iran news headlines on Tuesday include Iran closure of its consulate in Herat, OPEC ministers meeting in Vienna, Iran planning to build oil refinery near the Caspian Sea, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman denial of nuclear, missile cooperation with North Korea and Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh speech on shoting down more US ScanEagle drones before.
Iran temporarily shuts consulate after Afghan protest
Iran has temporarily shut its consulate in the Afghan city of Herat after protesters there attacked the mission's compound, the official IRNA news agency reported Tuesday quoting a foreign ministry source. "Iran's consulate in Herat is closed until further notice," an informed source in the ministry was quoted as saying.
OPEC considers oil output, Iran-Saudi rivalry
Tough decisions await OPEC oil ministers sitting down this week for a policy meeting. The 12-nation cartel has to deal not only with how much crude to produce for the next few months but must also fill a senior position coveted both by Saudi Arabia and archrival Iran. With world supplies ample, there is some rationale for curbing output when the ministers meet Wednesday in Vienna.
Iran plans to build oil refinery near Caspian Sea
The Iranian Oil Ministry plans to build an oil refinery near the Caspian Sea to refine the crude oil extracted from the sea. Masoud Jahdi, the exploration director of Khazar Oil Company, said that Iran's "northern provinces are highly populated and are major consumers of oil products, so building a refinery will meet their needs," according to the report.
Iran denies nuclear, missile cooperation with North Korea
Iran and North Korea are not cooperating on missile and nuclear development, Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. Japan's Kyodo News agency this month reported, citing a Western diplomatic source, that Iran had stationed defense staff in North Korea since late October, apparently to strengthen cooperation in missile and nuclear development.
Iran claims it shot down US ScanEagle drones in the past
Iran has in the past shot down more spy US ScanEagle drones, a model of which it claimed to have captured recently, media reports said Tuesday, quoting a senior military official. "We had already shot down this type of drone, (copies of which) are being produced in the country," said Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace division.
World powers monitoring Iran-IAEA talks
World powers keen to re-start diplomatic efforts to resolve he Iranian nuclear crisis will be closely watching a UN atomic agency trip to Tehran on Thursday for any indications of a change in mood.
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