Tehran Times 
 
Japan makes first oil payment to Iran in a year
Japan this week became the first of Iran’s oil buyers to make a payment for crude imports under an interim nuclear deal, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, as the West eased sanctions against the Iranian economy.

 
Bahrain toughens penalties for protesting
The king of Bahrain has approved a law imposing a jail sentence of up to seven years and a fine of thousands of dollars for anyone who publicly insults him, Reuters reported.

 
Iran dismisses remarks of U.S. undersecretary of state
Iran has dismissed the recent remarks of U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, saying that such statements are for domestic consumption and should be avoided.

 
Iran prioritizes ties with Muslim nations: Rouhani
A promotion of relations with Muslim countries, including the neighboring states, is a high priority for Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said during a meeting with Iyad bin Amin Madani, the new secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in Tehran on Wednesday.

 
Bombings kill 24 people in Baghdad
Four bombings in Baghdad, including one opposite the Foreign Ministry, killed 24 people on Wednesday, the latest in the country’s worst surge of violence in nearly six years.

 
Israel blocks provision of tents to homeless Palestinians
The International Red Cross has stopped providing tents for Palestinian residents whose houses were demolished by the Israeli regime in the occupied Jordan Valley.

 
Turkish parliament debates unprecedented Internet restrictions
Turkish MPs debated Wednesday new Internet legislation portrayed by the government as shielding the young from dangerous material but which critics say is a further erosion of personal freedom in the aspiringEU member.

 
Kashmir Solidarity Day 2014 commemorated in Tehran
The Pakistani ambassador to Iran has said that Islamabad is committed to a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

 
Sweden says nuclear deal has created new atmosphere in Tehran-West relations
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has said that the Geneva nuclear deal between Iran and major powers has created a new atmosphere in relations between Tehran and the West and opened up new opportunities.

 
Business trip to Iran ‘not helpful’, Kerry tells France
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his French counterpart a trip to Iran by French business executives was “not helpful” and gave the wrong impression that Tehran was open for business as usual, Reuters quoted a U.S. official as saying.

 
Iran sticking to the letter of the Geneva agreement: Zarif
Iran is sticking to the letter of the interim deal over its nuclear program and believes it is important that it uses this opportunity to build confidence, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told euronews in an interview published on Tuesday.

 
House Democrats mobilize against Iran sanctions bill
Two House Democrats are mobilizing their colleagues against a bill to slap more sanctions on Iran, circulating a letter that backs President Barack Obama’s position that such a bill would jeopardize delicate nuclear negotiations, the Huffington Post reported on Sunday.

 
‘EU’s approach toward Iran has changed from confrontation to interaction’
The Spanish ambassador to Tehran says the European Union’s approach toward Iran has changed from that of confrontation to one of cooperation since Hassan Rouhani was elected the Iranian president in last summer, IRNA reported.

 
Iran Daily 
 
Rouhani: OIC must help stop violence against Muslims
President Hassan Rouhani has said the prevention of atrocities and massacre of Muslims worldwide is the main duty of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

 
Baghdad attacks kill dozens
Three explosions in Baghdad, including one opposite the Foreign Ministry, killed at least 37 people on Wednesday, the latest in thecountry’s worst surge of violence in nearly six years.

 
Japan makes first oil payment to Iran
Japan this week became the first of Iran’s oil buyers to make a payment for crude imports under an interim nuclear deal, sources told Reuters on Wednesday, as the West eased a year-long stranglehold on revenues.

Zarif: Iran is committed to Geneva deal
Two months have passed since Iran and western powers signed an agreement in Geneva which would put an end to a decade-long impasse over Tehran’s nuclear program.  Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke to euronews channel about the deal.

 
US bugged Schroeder when he was German chancellor
The US National Security Agency (NSA) bugged the phone of former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder from at least 2002, a German newspaper reported on Wednesday, compounding the most serious row between the allies in a decade.

 
Moscow ready to help IAEA inspect Iran nuclear sites
Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna has expressed his country’s readiness to assist the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in its mission to inspect Iranian nuclear sites.

 
Bank Mellat to sue UK government
Bank Mellat plans to sue the British government with a damages claim of up to one billion pounds for loss of business caused by illegal sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

 
Takfirism big threat to Mideast security
Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force Brigadier General Mohammad Pakpour said Takfirism is one of the main menaces threatening the security of the Middle East region.

 
Iran, Russia stress need to confront terrorism, extremism
The Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia have stressed the need for regional cooperation to counter terrorism and extremism.

 
Rescue efforts continue in north
The spokesman of Iran’s Red Crescent Society (IRCS), Hossein Derakhshan, said rescue operations in snow-bound provinces of Iran will continue, ILNA reported on February 5.