The BBC’s Director General, Mark Thompson, accuses the Iranian authorities of intimidating those working for its Persian service.

Read more here:
BBC accuses Iran of intimidation

Amir Hekmati, a 28-year-old former Marine, was sentenced to death for espionage on Jan. 9 by Iran’s Revolutionary Court. In December, Iran released videos in which Hekmati in both Persian and English gave his history and “confessed” to being trained to become a double agent by the CIA. Read full article > >

See more here:
An American is caught in Iran’s spy game

For the U.S. Navy, it was like hitting the public-relations jackpot: An aircraft carrier strike group that just left the Persian Gulf stumbles across an Iranian fishing vessel in distress, hijacked by pirates. Forces from the U.S.S. John C. Stennis carrier strike group, whose presence in the region had provoked a rhetorical outburst from Tehran that spooked global oil markets , swiftly made the most of the moment. They seized 15 Somali pirates without firing a shot and rescued 13 hungry Iranian fishermen who had been held hostage for several weeks. Read full article > >

Originally posted here:
U.S. picks up Iranian hostages, with good timing

The aircraft carrier John C. Stennis supported ground troops in Afghanistan as scheduled after being warned not to re-enter the Persian Gulf.

Read more from the original source:
Work as Usual for U.S.S. John C. Stennis After Warning by Iran

ONE WEAKNESS of the Obama administration’s emerging initiative to negotiate with leaders of the Afghan Taliban is evident in the misleading rhetoric with which it is described. On Tuesday, State Department and White House spokesmen carefully distanced themselves from an announcement from the Taliban that it would open an office in the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar — “we’ve seen these reports of some kind of preliminary agreement with regard to an office for Taliban political activity,” said State spokeswoman Victoria Nuland — while insisting that the process was “Afghan-led.” Read full article > >

The rest is here:
Editorial Board:
The risks of talking with the Taliban

The official news agency IRNA said the missile test was carried out on Monday on the final day of 10 days of maneuvers in the Persian Gulf.

Read more:
Iran Tests Naval Cruise Missile

To promote “secure” Persian Gulf.

Read more:
U.S. Sells Arms to Iran Neighbors

The agreement, which is part of a 10-year, $60 billion arms package, comes as tensions over Iran mount in the Persian Gulf and the United States pulls its last soldiers out of Iraq.

Here is the original post:
U.S. to Sell F-15 Fighters to Saudi Arabia in Deal Worth $30 Billion

TEHRAN, Iran — An Iranian surveillance plane has recorded video and photographed a U.S. aircraft carrier during Iran’s ongoing navy drill near a strategic waterway in the Persian Gulf, the official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday. The report did not provide details and it was unclear what information the Iranian military could gleam from such footage. But the announcement is an indication Iran is seeking to cast its navy as having a powerful role in the region’s waters. Read full article > >

More here:
Report: Iranian surveillance plane films, takes photos of US aircraft carrier during drill

In a time of uncertainty, Porochista Khakpour finds solace and hope in her family’s Persian traditions.

See more here:
Opinion »: Op-Ed: Ringing in the Year 1390

It looks like the wave of uprisings sweeping the Middle East has spread to the small Persian Gulf state of Oman. Protests in Oman have turned violent, as activists calling for more jobs and political reform block roads and clash with police. Six people…

Go here to read the rest:
Protests Spread to Oman

Here we go again: the U.S. is once again warning a Middle Eastern ally to tread carefully in dealing with pro-democracy protestors. After four were killed overnight in Bahrain, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called the tiny Persian Gulf…

Originally posted here:
Clinton Warns Bahrain

More than 10,000 people streamed into Pearl Square as a political protest merged with a funeral procession in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

Originally posted here:
Bahrain Protests Expand on Third Day

The killing on Tuesday during the second day of clashes in the Persian Gulf kingdom spurred the largest Shiite bloc to suspend its participation in Parliament.

Go here to read the rest:
Bahrain Roiled After Second Protester Is Killed by Police

Iran said Sunday it had shot down what it described as two Western spy planes over the Persian Gulf, according to Iranian media reports.

Read the rest here:
Iran: ‘Western spy planes’ downed