Tehran Times 
 
Renault resumes Iran shipments for car production
Renault has resumed shipments to Iran and expects its car production in the country to pick up progressively throughout the first half of 2014, the French automaker said.

 
Iran, Turkey enjoy their best relations in history: Leader
S u p r e m e Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday Iran and Turkey currently enjoy a “brotherly” and “friendly” relationship which is outstanding in the history of their relations over the past centuries.

 
Bahrain bans Shia clerics’ council
A Bahraini court shuttered a Shia Muslim clerics’ council on Wednesday, after the authorities in the Sunni-ruled kingdom accused it of politicization and illegal operations.

 
Syrian government “ready” to discuss transition of power
Syrian state television said on Wednesday that the government delegation has announced its “full readiness” to discuss the Geneva I communiqué, which calls for a transitional government, “paragraph by paragraph” at peace talks.

 
Nuclear talks have had positive effect on economy, Rafsanjani says
Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Wednesday that the nuclear talks have had a positive effect on the Iranian economy.

 
No all-embracing cabinet without Aoun: Hezbollah
Caretaker Minister of State Mohammad Fneish ruled out Wednesday the formation of an all-embracing government that excludes the Free Patriotic Movement, adding that his party, Hezbollah, would remain committed to the memorandum of understanding with its Christian political allies.

 
German Foreign Ministry appoints first Muslim spokeswoman
A German woman of Palestinian origin has been appointed as the deputy spokeswoman of the German Foreign Ministry.

 
Libyan minister survives assassination attempt
Libya’s interior minister escaped unscathed from an assassination attempt in Tripoli on Wednesday, the official LANA news agency reported.

 
Iranian FM hails Oman’s role in resolving regional problems
Iran appreciates Oman’s contribution to the efforts meant to resolve regional and international issues and is determined to expand its relations with the Sultanate, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a meeting with Oman’s new ambassador in Tehran on Tuesday.

 
Iranian lawmakers to visit Britain
Iranian parliamentarians will come to London in the next few months, the first such visit in years, as Iran and Britain try to improve their damaged relations, Reuters quoted a group of British lawmakers as saying on Tuesday.

 
Obama takes tough line against Iran sanctions to Congress
President Barack Obama took his hard line against new sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program directly to U.S. lawmakers on Tuesday by pledging in his annual State of the Union address to veto any legislation that threatens talks with Tehran.

 
IAEA inspectors visit Iran’s Gachin uranium mine
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors on Wednesday visited the Gachin uranium mine, as part of a joint statement that Iran and the UN nuclear agency signed on further cooperation on Tehran’s nuclear activities in the Iranian capital on November 11, 2013.

 
Tehran calls on UN chief to help obtain release of Iranian diplomat in Yemen
In a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Kimoon on Friday, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Mohammad Khazaee, called for efforts to be made to secure the release of an Iranian diplomat recently abducted in Yemen.

 
U.S. talk of military option is medieval mentality: Iran’s defense chief
The Iranian defense minister says the United States is well aware that they cannot launch any aggressive act against Iran as they are aware of Iran’s defensive power.

 
Iran Daily 
 
Leader hails Tehran-Ankara ties
Visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehranon Wednesday.

Obama vows again to veto Congress Iran bill
President Barack Obama took his hard line against new sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program directly to US lawmakers on Tuesday by pledging in his annual State of the Union address to veto any legislation that threatens talks with Tehran.

 
Ukraine opposition seeking further concessions
Ukraine’s opposition Wednesday pressed for more concessions from President Viktor Yanukovych to resolve a deadly political crisis, including an amnesty for jailed activists, after securing the resignation of the prime minister and his entire government.

 
Deputy minister: 70% of Iranians overeat
A deputy health minister said 70 percent of Iranians have the bad habit of eating too much and 20 percent of the population suffer from obesity.

 
IAEA inspectors at Gachin mine
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have started visiting the Gachin uranium mine in the south of Iran.

 
Iran develops indigenous missile system simulators
The Iranian military has unveiled indigenous simulators for the Shahin (Hawk) and Skyguard missile defense systems.

 
FM hails Oman’s role in region
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has praised Oman for its constructive role in settling regional and international issues, calling for further development of relations between Tehran and Muscat.